Dawn and the Impossible Three

Ann M. Martin's Dawn and the Impossible Three is a friendship story for 9 year olds about the newest girl in a baby-sitting club and three kids who really need someone on their side.

What happens

Dawn has only lived in chilly Connecticut for a few months. She moved there from sunny California with her mum and little brother Jeff after her parents split up. She HATES the cold (she actually shouts at the weatherman when it drops a few degrees).

Then a new client rings the Baby-sitters Club. Mrs Barrett has three children, Buddy, Suzi and baby Marnie, and she's just been through a divorce of her own.

Dawn's first afternoon there is quite something. Buddy gallops out in a cowboy hat and swimming flippers, firing a ray gun at her. The house is a tip. There's no list of instructions, and Mrs Barrett zooms off to a job interview.

So Dawn turns the tidying into a race against the clock. Who knew washing up could be a competition?

Back at the club, things are a bit frosty. Kristy, the president, keeps leaving Dawn out. Dawn works out why, and it's jealousy. Mary Anne used to be Kristy's best friend and nobody else's, and now she has Dawn too.

Meanwhile Dawn's mum is dating Mary Anne's dad, who she went out with at school. The two girls are giddy about it (and then someone points out they could end up stepsisters!).

Dawn tells it herself and it's like chatting with a friend. "Ew, ew, ew" is her verdict on her mum's Leftover Stew. Her mum is super scatty and nearly heads out on a date with a price tag still on her skirt.

Just so you know, divorce runs right through this one. Suzi still hopes her dad will come home, and she's very upset when Dawn says divorce lasts forever. Mary Anne lost her mum when she was very small too (that's only mentioned in passing, as backstory).

If your family is going through a split, it might feel close to home. It could also be really reassuring to see Dawn getting on with life.

It's American and a little old-fashioned (diapers, Popsicles, TV dinners), but there's not much to trip over. It's the fifth book about the club, so if they haven't met everyone yet, start with Kristy's Great Idea.

What to read next

If your reader likes the new girl trying to fit into a group of friends, try Jacqueline Wilson's Sleepovers. Daisy has just joined a secret club of five girls at her new school, and bossy Chloe makes it very clear she'd rather Daisy wasn't tagging along.