Life is changing. Fast.
New secrets. New problems.
Sometimes writing about them helps... A spin-off of Ann M. Martin's, The Baby-Sitters Club. All 15 books are written as first-person journals. The pretense of the Diaries is that they are a school project. All students at their school must keep a journal; the contents and method are up to them. (Which is why Maggie's books are written in a Type Writer Font - she uses her computer.) The first, main conflict comes up when the 8th graders are merged with the high school. They went from being the "leaders" to the youngest kid in the 5-grade school. This series covers more mature themes than the original - alcohol, eating disorders, cancer, runaways, etc. It addresses them in a familiar, informative yet well-written way. Dawn Schafer, a member of The Baby-Sitters Club from Connecticut, returned to California to live with her father, stepmother, and brother. Upon her arrival, she reunited with old friends, and they tried to revive the West Coast version of the club - The We Love Kids Club. She spends the majority of the series trying to be the glue that keeps the group together, and to balance her desire to live in two states at once. She has major conflicts with Sunny at several points, usually on how often Sunny visits her mother in the hospital. She gains a little sister later in the series. The main themes in her journals are about her facing family and friendship changes. Sunny Winslow is Dawn's best friend in California. Her mother is dying of lung cancer, and her father works all the time to try and cover up his pain. He owns a book store. Her negative attitude, coupled with her outlandish fashion sense, are all attempts to get the attention she needs from her parents. Sunny's mother dies later in the series, in her third "Diary." She runs away in her first "Diary." Maggie Blume's father is obsessed with his job as a studio executive, and pushes her to have a 5-year plan. She copes with the stress by developing an eating disorder, anorexia. Throughout the series, her biggest struggle comes from trying to assert herself. Her mother has a drinking problem, which helps Maggie realize her own eating problems. Amalia Vargas is Maggie's best friend, and probably the most affected by her sickness. She fears a Junior at their school, James, who has been stalking her since she broke off their relationship. He finally leaves her alone after she finds a new boyfriend, Brenden. Amalia is the manager of a band called Vanish. She was brought into the group by James, but the others realize that Amalia may have to quit if James remains in the group. Other band members include Maggie, Peggie, Bruce, Justin and Rico. Vanish is mentioned in all of Maggie's and Amalia's "Diaries". Amalia is fond of drawing in her "Diary." Ducky McCrae is the token boy in this series. He is a sophomore, and his four best friends are the girls above. His old friends, Jay (formally known as Jason) and Alex have drifted away. Jay is interested in girls, and Alex has suicidal tendencies, expressed in Ducky's second "Diary." His parents travel for months at a time, so he lives alone with his irresponsible, older brother, Ted, whom his parents prefer. His real name is Christopher McCrae. He also works at Sunny's father's book store. List of California Diaries characters
Titles
1: Dawn
Friends. Changes. Together. Alone. 2: Sunny
Living. Dying. Run. 3: Maggie
Perfect. Always. Pressure. 4: Amalia
Love. Not. 5: Ducky
Guys. Girls. Nowhere. 6: Sunny, Diary Two
Waiting. Watching. Crash. "7: Dawn, Diary Two
Inside. Out. 8: Maggie, Diary Two
Weight. Problems. 9: Amalia, Diary Two
Fate. 10: Ducky, Diary Two
Try. Again. 11: Dawn, Diary Three
Missing. Losing. Hurt. 12: Sunny, Diary Three
Just. Cry. 13: Maggie, Diary Three
Life. Camera. Action. 14: Amalia, Diary Three
Confusion. Pain. Away. 15: Ducky, Diary Three
Together.
