Mallory is working on an important writing project and her big, noisy family won't leave her alone. She feels like a baby-sitting slave. Should she go on strike?.
Mary Anne loves sitting for the Lowells. But when Claudia meets the family, Mrs. Lowell will barely look her in the eye and the kids are rude. The BSC will not rest until they find out what Claudia did and why the Lowells acted the way they did.
Karen and David have terrible manners, so they are sent to charm school. Karen likes dressing up and learning how to dance, but David and the boys are rude. Karen hopes to teach the boys a lesson when she throws a tea party.
Karen learns the importance of keeping a secret so that rumors don't get started. She has to regain her classmates confidence after they stop talking to her because she spilled Natalie's secret.
Karen thinks having a pen pal is so cool, but her pen pal turns out to be a big bragger. Karen makes things up about herself, and worries when her pen pal announces plans to visit Stoneybrook.
Karen and her friends start their own neighborhood newspaper, but they learn about ethics in journalism after printing secrets about their neighbors and upsetting everyone.
