California Diaries
Encyclopedia
The California Diaries series is a spin-off of Ann M. Martin's The Baby-sitters Club
. All fifteen novels are written as first-person journals. The pretense of the Diaries is that they are a school project; all students at their school must keep a journal, with the contents and method left up to them.
The main conflict of the series arises when the eighth grade is merged with the high school. The students abruptly go from being the oldest of the middle school to the youngest at the high school (now grades 8-12). This series covers more mature themes than The Baby-sitters Club
, such as alcohol, eating disorders, cancer, and runaway teens.
Books #2, #5, #6, #9, #10, and #14 were ghostwritten
by Peter Lerangis
, #7, #8, and #13 by Jeanne Betancourt
, and #15 by Nola Thacker. The interior illustrations in Amalia's diaries are by Stieg Retlin.
Sunny Winslow is Dawn's best friend in California. Her mother is suffering (and eventually dies) from lung cancer
, and her father works all the time in his bookstore to avoid his pain. Sunny's rebellious behavior and negative attitude towards her friends are the main sources of conflict throughout the series, though Sunny's diaries reveal that she's acting out to get the attention she desires from her parents. She runs away from home in her first diary. In her third diary, her mother dies, leading Sunny to finally reconcile with her friends.
Maggie Blume's father is obsessed with his job as a studio executive, but also puts pressure on her to have a detailed plan for high school and succeed academically. Maggie's true passion, however, is songwriting, which she hides fearing her father's disapproval; once her friends learn of her talent, however, she ends up becoming the lead singer for the local band Vanish. Maggie's early diaries also focus on her crush on another student, Justin Randall, whom she sees as unattainable. Her desire to regain control of her life causes her to develop anorexia
. Throughout the series, her biggest struggle comes from trying to assert herself. Her mother's alcoholism eventually helps Maggie realize that she has a problem as well.
Amalia Vargas is Maggie's best friend. In her first diary, she is dating James, a junior at Vista. He becomes abusive and she breaks up with him with the support of her friends and sister. After this, she fears James, who has been stalking her since the break-up. He finally leaves her alone when she finds a new boyfriend, Brendan. Amalia is the manager of Vanish. She was originally brought into the group by James, but the others realize that Amalia may have to quit if James remains. The other band members are Maggie, Patti, Bruce, Justin, and Rico. Amalia is fond of drawing in her diary. She lives with her parents and sister, Isabel.
Ducky McCrae is a sixteen-year-old high school sophomore whose real name is Christopher. His four best friends are Dawn, Sunny, Maggie, and Amalia. His old friends, Jay (formally known as Jason) and Alex have previously drifted away. Jay is interested in girls, and Alex has suicidal tendencies, which are mentioned in Ducky's second diary. His parents travel for months at a time, so he lives with his irresponsible older brother, Ted, whom his parents prefer. Ducky also works at Sunny's father's bookstore.
Friends. Changes. Together. Alone.
2. Sunny
Living. Dying. Run.
3. Maggie
Perfect. Always. Pressure.
4. Amalia
Love. Not.
5. Ducky
Guys. Girls. Nowhere.
6. Sunny, Diary Two
Waiting. Watching. Crash.
7. Dawn, Diary Two
Inside. Out.
8. Maggie, Diary Two
Weight. Problems.
9. Amalia, Diary Two
Fate.
10. Ducky, Diary Two
Try. Again.
11. Dawn, Diary Three
Missing. Losing. Hurt.
12. Sunny, Diary Three
Just. Cry.
13. Maggie, Diary Three
Life. Camera. Action.
14. Amalia, Diary Three
Confusion. Pain. Away.
15. Ducky, Diary Three
Together.
The Baby-Sitters Club
The Baby-sitters Club is a series of novels written by Ann M. Martin and published by Scholastic between 1986 and 2000, that sold 17 milllon copies. Many of the novels were ghostwritten, including 43 by Peter Lerangis. However, Ann Martin wrote the first 35 novels.The series is about a group of...
. All fifteen novels are written as first-person journals. The pretense of the Diaries is that they are a school project; all students at their school must keep a journal, with the contents and method left up to them.
The main conflict of the series arises when the eighth grade is merged with the high school. The students abruptly go from being the oldest of the middle school to the youngest at the high school (now grades 8-12). This series covers more mature themes than The Baby-sitters Club
The Baby-Sitters Club
The Baby-sitters Club is a series of novels written by Ann M. Martin and published by Scholastic between 1986 and 2000, that sold 17 milllon copies. Many of the novels were ghostwritten, including 43 by Peter Lerangis. However, Ann Martin wrote the first 35 novels.The series is about a group of...
, such as alcohol, eating disorders, cancer, and runaway teens.
Books #2, #5, #6, #9, #10, and #14 were ghostwritten
Ghostwriter
A ghostwriter is a professional writer who is paid to write books, articles, stories, reports, or other texts that are officially credited to another person. Celebrities, executives, and political leaders often hire ghostwriters to draft or edit autobiographies, magazine articles, or other written...
by Peter Lerangis
Peter Lerangis
Peter Lerangis is an author of children's and young-adult fiction.-Career:Lerangis's work includes The Viper's Nest and The Sword Thief, two titles in the New York Times–bestselling children's-book series The 39 Clues, the historical novel Smiler's Bones, the YA dark comedy-adventure novel wtf,...
, #7, #8, and #13 by Jeanne Betancourt
Jeanne Betancourt
Jeanne Betancourt is a renowned American author and television script writer best known for her Pony Pals series of books.-Biography:...
, and #15 by Nola Thacker. The interior illustrations in Amalia's diaries are by Stieg Retlin.
Main characters
Dawn Schafer, a member of the Baby-sitters Club from Connecticut, returns to her previous home of California to live with her father, stepmother, and brother. Upon her arrival, she reunites with old friends, and they try to revive the West Coast version of the Baby-sitters Club; the We Love Kids Club. She spends the majority of the series trying to keep the group together, and to balance her desire to live in two states at once. At several points in the series, she has major conflicts with Sunny, usually regarding how infrequently Sunny visits her mother in the hospital. She gains a little sister named Grace later in the series. The main themes in Dawn's diaries are about facing family and friendship changes.Sunny Winslow is Dawn's best friend in California. Her mother is suffering (and eventually dies) from lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
, and her father works all the time in his bookstore to avoid his pain. Sunny's rebellious behavior and negative attitude towards her friends are the main sources of conflict throughout the series, though Sunny's diaries reveal that she's acting out to get the attention she desires from her parents. She runs away from home in her first diary. In her third diary, her mother dies, leading Sunny to finally reconcile with her friends.
Maggie Blume's father is obsessed with his job as a studio executive, but also puts pressure on her to have a detailed plan for high school and succeed academically. Maggie's true passion, however, is songwriting, which she hides fearing her father's disapproval; once her friends learn of her talent, however, she ends up becoming the lead singer for the local band Vanish. Maggie's early diaries also focus on her crush on another student, Justin Randall, whom she sees as unattainable. Her desire to regain control of her life causes her to develop anorexia
Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Although commonly called "anorexia", that term on its own denotes any symptomatic loss of appetite and is not strictly accurate...
. Throughout the series, her biggest struggle comes from trying to assert herself. Her mother's alcoholism eventually helps Maggie realize that she has a problem as well.
Amalia Vargas is Maggie's best friend. In her first diary, she is dating James, a junior at Vista. He becomes abusive and she breaks up with him with the support of her friends and sister. After this, she fears James, who has been stalking her since the break-up. He finally leaves her alone when she finds a new boyfriend, Brendan. Amalia is the manager of Vanish. She was originally brought into the group by James, but the others realize that Amalia may have to quit if James remains. The other band members are Maggie, Patti, Bruce, Justin, and Rico. Amalia is fond of drawing in her diary. She lives with her parents and sister, Isabel.
Ducky McCrae is a sixteen-year-old high school sophomore whose real name is Christopher. His four best friends are Dawn, Sunny, Maggie, and Amalia. His old friends, Jay (formally known as Jason) and Alex have previously drifted away. Jay is interested in girls, and Alex has suicidal tendencies, which are mentioned in Ducky's second diary. His parents travel for months at a time, so he lives with his irresponsible older brother, Ted, whom his parents prefer. Ducky also works at Sunny's father's bookstore.
Titles
1. DawnFriends. Changes. Together. Alone.
2. Sunny
Living. Dying. Run.
3. Maggie
Perfect. Always. Pressure.
4. Amalia
Love. Not.
5. Ducky
Guys. Girls. Nowhere.
6. Sunny, Diary Two
Waiting. Watching. Crash.
7. Dawn, Diary Two
Inside. Out.
8. Maggie, Diary Two
Weight. Problems.
9. Amalia, Diary Two
Fate.
10. Ducky, Diary Two
Try. Again.
11. Dawn, Diary Three
Missing. Losing. Hurt.
12. Sunny, Diary Three
Just. Cry.
13. Maggie, Diary Three
Life. Camera. Action.
14. Amalia, Diary Three
Confusion. Pain. Away.
15. Ducky, Diary Three
Together.