this was kind of bad1 Jaclyn2,186 5

Yippee more BSC(adjacent) books in the library! In this one, Maggie tries to be the perfect daughter to her Hollywood producer father, but eventually decides to let her inner punk rocker out.1 1 comment Julia78

Believe it or not, I actually read this Diary first. And this is , the 3rd one is the series!!! lol, but that was because my sister had all these books hiden in her room somewhere, *rolls eyes* shes so odd. anyway, it actually made sence. Into the book, when Maggie plays "Hey, Down There" for her band, Vanish, you feel your feet are...not touching the ground. It was a deep moment for me when I read that part because Maggie seriously realtes to the song is so many ways. So I could just imagine how she sang it for the Battle of the Bands. =) Maggle Rules1 SR1,662

So Maggie basically is me, except with added singing abilities and a famous dad - family situation, position in school, identity among friends, tendency to capslock when excited...

This one really struck me. She's a great well-rounded character and I love her voice. Should probably track down her other two diaries for the hell of it... Kerri Simpson255 4

I enjoy these books so much. Maggie is one of my favorite characters. From joining a rock band to skipping her dad's production night this is definitely a pre teen adventure ride you won't forget.1 Leigh974

I barely remember meeting Maggie in the BSC books. I don't remember any of the girls from this series honestly because I think I was losing interest in the books by the time Dawn moved back to California. I know I read Dawn on the Coast fairly recently but really don't remember much about it. Anyway Maggie is the perfect daughter of a high powered movie mogul. Her mother is worried about keeping up appearances her younger brother Zeke is annoying as are most younger siblings myself included no doubt. She plays piano, gets good grades and has grown out of her goth/punk phase to her mother's relief. But Maggie loves writing poetry and song lyrics. I didn't really read many of said lyrics and poems which is why I knocked off a star for this book. There is a band called Vanish that Maggie is interested in and she starts hanging out with Amalia who's involved with the band. She gets talked into trying out as a backup singer and ends up lead vocalist and has a few of her songs played by the band. Bit conflict arises when Maggie is expected to attend a big premiere with her family on the same night as Battle of the Bands in which they are competing. Now Maggie is trying to figure out how to manage both with some help from her friends. This was not a bad book. Maggie seems much older than 13 here so it was a bit of a shock when her dad pointed that out. But overall it was a pretty decent entry in the series.2021 fictional-series friendship ...more SamanthaAuthor 33 books30

Of all the California Diaries books/characters, Maggie was really my least favorite. At least in this first journal of her's anyway, she just didn't resonate. Her plot got more interesting when they really dove into her eating disorder issues, but this book just didn't pack much of a punch. While her family issues are pretty messy, especially her mom's hinted at drinking problem, it didn't get into her issues deep enough. Though her Britney Spears-esque hair chopping off melt down WAS pretty good.childhood-throwback favorites first-edition ...more Nora229 2

These really are great books for late middle/early high school. They are so angsty compared to baby sitters club books though ha ha! Two different versions of what being 13 can be. Most kids probably land somewhere in between. Maggie is a bit of a difficult read because she's such a perfectionist and the author wrote that really well. So she kind of reminded me of me at that age. Christina488 2 Read

Read my recap at A Year with the BSC via Stoneybrook Forever: www.livethemovies.com/bsc-blog/califo...baby-sitters-club Meg GlitteryOtters666

3.5 stars Ashley1,501 31

I will forever regret that I have no musical talent and didn't join a garage band when I was a teenager. 2023 bsc own ...more1 Kathryn BealAuthor 1 book15

I think more parents should read YA novels. They help you connect to what it was being a kid or a teenager, and the parents are usually great examples of what NOT to do. Kiana1,023 48

Of all the California Diaries characters, Maggie was never my favorite (as a child, Sunny’s story always stuck with me the most, simply because of how horrifying it was)—upon reread, I don’t really have a favorite (though it might be Ducky), but I can easily say that Maggie is the one I relate to the most. She is such a tightly-wound mess of insecurity, anxiety, and low self-esteem, and she sounds a hell of a lot my teenage self.

Of course, when I first read the books I didn’t recognize Maggie’s story for what it was—the story of a girl with a severe anxiety disorder that has her worrying and second-guessing herself at every moment, to the point where she no longer knows how to be happy. But the signs were all clear as day this time around, and I was really impressed by how realistically and subtly they were integrated into the story. a lot of stuff in the California Diaries books, it’s not a thing that most younger readers will fully appreciate or understand, but to an adult reader, they’re very satisfying.

In fact, there are a lot of satisfying things about Maggie, Diary 1. Obviously, Maggie’s anxiety is first and foremost what makes it succeed, but the way it concludes is also pretty fantastic. Though she realizes by the end of the novel that her self-criticism is debilitatingly powerful, her problems aren’t anywhere close to fixed—in fact, she actually goes to far worse places in later installments. But this is part of what stops this series from being too cookie-cutter and neat, and it reads more life. The conflict between Maggie doing what she thinks is the “right, successful” path that will secure her family’s approval and recognizing her own desires and needs (which don’t lie along the same path) is a wonderfully relatable plot element. And I d how Maggie’s father wasn’t portrayed as a ruthless, cold-hearted monster but someone with his own stressors and moments of humanity.

This is a very bite-sized book—I read it in about an hour, in one sitting—but it’s a good one that, the rest of the California Diaries series, handles difficult topics in a way that is accessible to younger readers. The narrators are still written WAY too young—Maggie and her friends should be sophomores, at the very least—but if you can overlook that, or at least pretend in your head that they’re older, this is a pretty satisfying short novel. This series continues to impress me even as an adult—the books are rare overlooked gems that offer realistic glimpses into the teenage (not really the tween) psyche, and Maggie is a particularly strong example. Short, sharp, and satisfying.

3.25 stars. childhood contemporary disturbing ...more Tanya459 7

I read this book initally several years ago. It's part of a series that I never managed to find all the books to. Well just recently I found several of the missing books, so I decided to reread the ones I'd already read combined with the ones I hadn't. As I mentioned in my quick synapsis of the first book in the series DAWN, it's from the same author who wrote the Babysitters Club books. And even those these feature characters from teh BSC books, these are decidedly NOT the same books. They're about Dawn and her friends, now that Dawn has moved back to CA to live with her dad. They're written in diary format (thus the fact that they're referred to as the California Diaries). Each book (there are 15 books in total, 3 diaries for each character) is written from 1 of 5 different characters POV (Dawn - who's experiencing a lot of change with the move, her parents divorce and the fact that her dad is remarried and expecting; Sunny - Dawn's best friend, who's mother is dying of lung cancer; Maggie - another best friend who is struggling with living up to her parents expectations to be perfect, Amalia - a new friend, who if I recall from my first reading, has overly possessive boyfriend problems; and Ducky - I've only read one of the Ducky books, but my first instinct with Ducky is why is he hanging out with 13 y/o's and then I think he might be gay. But I'm not sure if that might be a bit too series for the type of book this is. We'll see what happens.
I just finished the 3rd of the books, and while I enjoyed it, it's not great. Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate that for a 13 y/o this could be life changing. Someone "gets" what they're going through. No one's life is perfect. I'll probably do a super review once I get further into the series (or once I find the elusive last book), but for now, I'm just working my way through the books. I'll start book 4: Amalia latter tonight. 2010-book-list paperbacks series Julie Suzanne1,966 73

Because she writes the babysitter's club series, I figured this may be an easy read for some of my 7th grade girls. I couldn't get into it, and I'm 3/4 finished. The protagonist is really into singing, is an over-achiever, goal-oriented, and totally rich. She writes and revises her own songs throughout, which was kind of cool, but really, nothing sparked my interest. Blah, blah. I don't even know to whom I'd recommend it, so I guess I'll get rid of it and make room on my shelves for something I can get excited about. When I'm excited, the kids get excited. That's what I've learned.

Update: Well, there are a lot of good from what seems to be teens for this one....I'll just keep it there hoping that some day it'll find a good match. Lorien235 51

I will never understand parents that control their kids. I just...don't get it. Maybe it's because of my family, but I just can't understand a person that thinks a child is a robot, something to control. You can't. You can't choose a damn thing for them, once they can start moving. Which is before their born.

That is a lesson that the main character and her family have to learn. Maggie learned to let go, live, and be herself, the person no one can control but herself. It was nice, and I hope she'll continue to do that. James Crawford5,592 28

This novel is about a girl named Maggie who is an incredible student, getting extremely high grades. She's close to what would be considered a "perfect daughter" in almost every way.

Yet she worries about getting good grades and whether or not she has the ability to do various things. She has a chance to become a lead singer for a small band but self-doubt and her father's opposition causes her problems.

It's a fairly short book and somewhat limited in scope but still interesting. Amanda671 43

This book is the third book in the California Diaries series by Ann M. Martin.
In this book Maggie is pressured about her grades. He dad is working on a new movie and is very stressed out about that. Maggie joins a garage band and is the lead singer. She cuts her hair and changes her clothes. Her band gets second place in the battle of the bands.4-star-books young-adult Bouvardia28 2

Maggie is not one of my favorite characters in the series but her story is wonderful. I loved how some of her entries where songs and poems while the rest was typed out but there were just too many little things with her personality that just made me dis her in general. Laura881 16

I didn't love this book as well as the Dawn book. However, I do love reading a diary. It was interesting to read about someone who has a famous dad and imagine what the may be . I also think this book is a good set up for Maggie's next diary. Maisha60

Not a very good book. I found it hard to side with the protagonist. On a side note, the font was big and it hurt my eyes (I don't mean to sound snobby).

I used to love the Baby-sitters Club, but I'm not a fan of this book. 2012 Joselin8

THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING AND EXITING I LOVED IT
Ashley1,832 53

Borrowed from library.

FS: "Monday 7/13 2:30pm. Breakfast: small bowl of cornflakes with skim milk, black coffee (no sugar)."

LS:1 Tara39

I loved i think it's a perfect book that is a sort of a life of tennager they think ever their going throgh is the worst in the world. Anita Grace78

Read this practically on repeat when I was a kid Brittany1,195 27

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