Clauda Kishi, Middle School Dropout (11 page)

"I'd also like to announce that I won - uh - first prize in my student art show," I said, trying to sound as modest as possible.
"Claud! That's excellent!" exclaimed Kristy.
"Congratulations!" said Mary Anne.
I invited everyone to come to the show the next day and see my painting. After that, we got down to the real purpose of our meeting: pigging out! Later, as I finished off my third brownie, I looked around the room and sighed happily. The BSC was back in business, I was on top of things at school, my life was back on track. Everything felt right again Dear Reader, In Claudia Kishi, Middle School Dropout, Claudia finds herself in a difficult situation when she is moved from eighth grade to seventh grade. Not only is she concerned about her schoolwork, but she has been moved in with a whole new group of kids. This can be difficult for anybody. I hear from lots of kids who are new in their school or town, and want to find ways to make friends. As Claudia found out, there are lots of ways to do this. One of the best is to think about things you like to do. For instance, do you like sports? Join a team at your school or in your town. Do you like art? Maybe your school is putting on a play, and you could work on the scenery or costumes. Do you feel like trying your hand at something new? See if you can take a class. Then you can meet the kids in your class. Like Claudia, you might think you're the only one in this situation. But that's not true. Everyone has been, or will be, the new kid at some point.
Happy reading.
About the Author.
ANN MATTHEWS MARTIN was born on August 12, 1955. She grew up in Princeton, NJ, with her parents and her younger sister, Jane.
Although Ann used to be a teacher and then an editor of children's books, she's now a full-time writer. She gets the ideas for her books from many different places. Some are based on personal experiences. Others are based on childhood memories and feelings. Many are written about contemporary problems or events.
All of Ann's characters, even the members of the Baby-sitters Club, are made up. (So is Stoneybrook.) But many 'of her characters are based on real people. Sometimes Ann names her characters after people she knows, other times she chooses names she likes.
In addition to the Baby-sitters Club books, Ann Martin has written many other books for children. Her favorite is Ten Kids, No Pets because she loves big families and she loves animals. Her favorite Baby-sitters Club book is Kristy's Big Day. (By the way, Kristy is her favorite baby-sitter!) Ann M. Martin now lives in New York with her cats, Gussie and Woody. Her hobbies are reading, sewing, and needlework - especially making clothes for children.