Monday, April 8, 2013

A closeup look at Stoneybrook


I got a hold of a copy of The Ultimate Guide to the Baby-Sitters Club, and it included a one page map of Stoneybrook, so I thought I would share.  It's really small, but you should be able to download and then zoom in on it.  The quality's not great, but that's from the original image, not my scanner, so it's the best I could do.
When I was a kid I had a Stoneybrook map that I got from one of the fan clubs.  This one is different...there are things on here that didn't exist at that point.  It's pretty similar though, in terms of general layout, at least from what I can remember.

  • I don't know if this is supposed to be to scale, but Kristy's house doesn't look that much farther from the middle school that the rest of the girls' houses are.  
  • The map includes the Stoneybrook Lighthouse, which I thought first showed up in a late Claudia mystery.  But the guide was published around when Kristy's Worst Idea came out, which was much earlier than that.  So, I guess the lighthouse showed up earlier?
  • It's actually a surprisingly thorough map.  I kept looking for people or locations they missed, but everyone/thing I thought of shows up. They even have that racist family and the place where Karen got her hair cut in a little sister book.  
  • From what I can tell, the only person who's house isn't shown is Robert.  Since the guide also lists him as Stacey's current boyfriend, that seems like a pretty big oversight.
  • There's also no doctor's office listed.  I know they reference going to the doctor in the book, but I can't remember a specific name.  It's possible they were in different towns, but since the hospital is right in downtown Stoneybrook, I would think a doctor's office would be.
  • Zingy's shows up, but that was always a store they talked about at the mall, not downtown Stoneybrook.  However, the part of the guide that talks about Washington Mall is missing Zingy's, so it it's a mistake, at least they're consistent.
  • I wish they showed where the Barretts lived before Mrs. Barrett got remarried.
  • If this was a better map they'd have the key arranged in alphabetical order.
  • There's a Stoneybrook Community Center listed as well as a Stoneybrook Civics Center.  Aren't those usually the same thing?
  • The guide itself is actually surprisingly inclusive and thorough.

12 comments:

Alycia said...

Dr Dellenkamp! That's the doctor Charlotte goes to in #35 when she has tonsillitis again and the cute boy catches Stacey reading a Highlights magazine. She is mentioned other times as well.
Also, Charlotte's mom is a doctor but at the hospital.

And civics centers are usually places with stages, like a concert hall. Community centers are usually recreational type places, at least where I live.

SJSiff said...

This is very interesting; thanks for sharing!

BSC Snarker, aka Kristen said...

Dr. Dellenkamp! Yes, that's who I was thinking of. Vanessa also goes to her in #31, when she sprains her ankle. It's the book where all the Pikes get sick/injured at the same time.

Anonymous said...

I must've missed the Lowell's on the map, where are they?

BSC Snarker, aka Kristen said...

Okay, I must be going crazy, because now I can't find the Lowell's either. I could have sworn they were there though.

Rachel said...

ahhhh thank you so much for posting this!!! i've been reading BSC books my entire childhood, but never got my hands on one of the maps! i've always been curious about the exact locations. this is awesome!!! thanks!!!

cheap nfl jerseys said...

This is very interesting; thanks for sharing!

cheap nfl jerseys said...

I have been in pay attention to your blog. Believe that will be great...

Tomoko said...

This is cool!

Anonymous said...

This is awesome! I'm almost 21 and I still love reading these books. I did find another mistake on the map though. Kristy used to live where the Perkinses are while Mary Anne used to live at the Hobarts. They grew up with their rooms facing each other thus making them able look into each other's rooms. The houses are next to each other but the way they are drawn there's a garage where Kristy's old room/window is supposed to be and no windows where Mary Anne's room/window should be.

Corey said...

I remember owning the BSC Mystery board game, with the playing board being a map of Stoneybrook. Does anyone else remember this? There was an original BSC game, then the mystery variation that came out a few years later. Such a weird concept to think about now, but I was obsessed at the time. I held on to that board for years after I stopped playing the game, simply to have a large Stoneybrook map.

Corey said...

Man, Stoneybrook really has Sunnydale vibes going on, doesn't it? It's supposed to be a "small town," but it has a whole hospital, university, major docks, and presumably an international airport.