Home > Work > Kristy and the Secret of Susan (The Baby-Sitters Club, #32)
1 " What would Susan be like? All I knew of her was what I had seen when she’d been out walking, a reluctant-looking little girl who made strange gestures and movements. And I knew she’d gone to a “special” school. But what kind of school exactly? Mrs. Felder had hinted that I might not want the job once I met Susan.I had looked up “autistic” in the dictionary. I couldn’t find the word, but I had found “autism.” The definition said something about childhood schizophrenia, acting out, and withdrawal. That was no help. Then I looked up “schizophrenia,” but I was more confused than ever. The definition mentioned “withdrawing from reality.” For heaven’s sake, I am always withdrawing from reality, every time I daydream. And my stepsister, Karen, believes in ghosts and witches, but there’s nothing wrong with her. I would have to wait and see what Mrs. Felder said. "
― Ann M. Martin , Kristy and the Secret of Susan (The Baby-Sitters Club, #32)
2 " I guess you can tell by now that I was thoroughly fascinated with Susan. I’d never met anyone like her. I’d never even heard of anyone like her. I was also feeling just the teeniest bit angry, though. Susan was very special. That was obvious, but everyone treated her like some kind of outcast. Her parents were taking her out of one away-from-home school and putting her in another. Why couldn’t they keep her with them? There are schools for handicapped kids around here. Day schools like the one Matt Braddock goes to in Stamford. There are also classes for handicapped kids in the public schools. And why didn’t her parents try to help Susan make friends? She couldn’t talk, but neither could Matt, and he had plenty of friends. The kids in his neighborhood learned some sign language so they could play with him.I decided that I would not only take on the job with Susan, but that I would use the month I had with her to show the Felders that she could live and learn and make friends at home. She did not have to be an outcast. "
3 " Ben is an awfully good brother,” said Mal. “And he’s polite and funny.”“Is he thrifty, honest, clean, hard-working, and considerate of old ladies?” asked Claudia with a smile.Mal turned away from the window, looking as if she were in the middle of a wonderful dream. “Yes,” she replied.“Then I think you should, you know, go after him,” said Dawn.“Me? Go after a boy?” asked Mal.“Sure. Why not?”“Well, okay,” said Mal quickly. “I think I will. "
4 " Why, I wondered, did the teasers continue to come back? They must have been fascinated by the Hobarts. Otherwise they wouldn’t keep egging them on. Maybe they liked hearing new words and phrases and names for things. But the teasers were so mean. If they wanted to hear Johnny ask for “fairy floss,” or Ben call someone a “rev head,” or Mathew talk about “brecky,” they could just ask the boys to tell them about Australia. Most teasers, I had found out, tease because they feel inferior and need to feel superior like a bully who beats up the runt of the school because the runt is easy to beat. However, I knew this, but it didn’t help the Hobarts much. "
