Beware, Dawn! is the second book in the Baby-sitters Club Mystery series.
Back Cover Summary[]
When Dawn starts getting threatening notes and odd phone calls while she's baby-sitting, she doesn't know what to do. The notes are signed "Mr. X," and they're beginning to get scary. Normally, she would tell the other Baby-sitters, but this time is different.
The kids at Stoneybrook Elementary are having a Sitter of the Month Contest. The Sitter of the Month has to be someone who is in control—someone whose jobs always go smoothly. Dawn doesn't want to blow her chances of winning. But what if she's in real danger?
Main Plot[]
Some of the kids at Stoneybrook Elementary School have decided to hold a "Sitter of the Month" contest and all the club members hope to win, especially Dawn, who thinks she has good shot of being the very first sitter of the month.
When Dawn babysits for the Prezziosos, the phone rings, but nobody's there & then the doorbell rings, but nobody's at the door, but she does find a note from Mr. X. Dawn doesn't tell anyone about the note because she'll think it'll ruin her chances of winning "Sitter of the Month." The same thing happens when she's sitting for the Rodowskys.
Dawn isn't the only BSC member to get visits from Mr. X: Jessi gets a bouquet of dead flowers with a note in them while she's sitting at home; Mary Anne & Mallory get a note threatening the Pikes' hamster, Frodo. Everyone in the club gets notes from Mr. X except for Kristy, who has been acting very competitive. Dawn believes that Kristy is "Mr. X." in order to ruin everyone else's chances of being the first "Sitter of the Month."
The girls decide to put their differences aside and work together to help find who is really "Mr. X," but they don't have any clues or suspects. When Dawn babysits for Jamie & Lucy Newton, Jamie tells her that Mel Tucker will be stopping by to do a secret baby-sitting check. Dawn lets the other girls know about what Jamie told her and they decide to set a trap for Mr. X.
Dawn tells the other club members that she'll be sitting for a fictional cousin of hers at her house one night. The rest of the BSC sneaks over to Dawn & Mary Anne's house and as soon as they hear suspicious noises in the secret passage, Dawn opens the entrance and discover Mel Tucker. Mel takes off running, hoping to escape through the other end of the passage, but the rest of the BSC is waiting in the barn for him.
When Kristy and Dawn walk Mel home, Mel confesses to being Mr. X. He was mad at the BSC after Dawn let Mrs. Hobart know that Mel & his friend, Zach were still calling the Hobart boys "Croc." Mrs. Hobart called Mel's parents and Mel got grounded. He discovered where everyone would be sitting by letting the other kids at SES think that it would help with the "Sitter of the Month" contest. The reason Kristy wasn't targeted because she had been sitting in her own neighborhood lately which would make it tough for Mel to sneak out of the house and go all the way to Kristy's neighborhood.
Kristy and Dawn talk to Mel's parents, who decide to send him to a child psychologist for help. In the end, the "Sitter of the Month" contest ended in a 7-way tie.
Subplot[]
Characters in this book[]
Dawn's Family
BSC Members
Kids
- Johnny, James, and Mathew Hobart
- Zach Wolfson
- Mel Tucker
- Jordan, Adam, Byron, Vanessa, Nicky, Margo, Claire Pike
- Jamie and Lucy Newton
- David Michael Thomas, Karen and Andrew Brewer, Emily Thomas-Brewer
- Bill, Melody, and Skylar Korman
- Shea, Jackie, and Archie Rodowsky
- Jenny and Andrea Prezzioso
- Becca and Squirt
- Hannie Papadakis (mentioned)
- Charlotte Johanssen
- Myriah and Gabbie Perkins
Teenagers
- Alan Gray (mentioned)
- Trevor Sandbourne (mentioned)
Adults
- Mrs. Hobart
- Mrs. Newton (mentioned)
- Elizabeth Thomas-Brewer (mentioned)
- Mrs. Korman (mentioned)
- Mrs. Rodowsky (mentioned)
- Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey (mentioned)
- Cecelia Parker (mentioned)
- Mr. and Mrs. Pike (mentioned)
- Mr. Papadakis
- Mrs. Gray
- Dr. Johanssen (mentioned)
- Edward McGill (mentioned)
- Mr. and Mrs. Tucker
Places in this book[]
- Schafer/Spier House
- Rodowsky House
- Newton House
- Ramsey House
- Pike House
- Johanssen House
- Kishi House
- Hobart House
- Korman House
- New York City (mentioned)
Pop Culture and Real Life References[]
- Bruce Springsteen and Madonna is alluded to on page 39
- Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth II on page 128
- Highlights magazine on page 1
- Barbie on page 31
- G.I Joe on page 115
- Bert and Ernie on page 120
- Nintendo games
- Monopoly
- the Beverly Cleary book Muggie Maggie
- Avon the cosmetics company
Continuity and Inconsistencies[]
Continuity
- Jessi remembers the events of Jessi's Baby-sitter on page 45.
- Claudia remembers the Little Miss Stoneybrook Pageant on page 46.
- There's a reference to Melody and Bill Korman's fear of the toilet monster on page 94 from Mary Anne Misses Logan.
- Dawn remembers the events of Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls in chapter 7, even though she wasn't there at the time. Mary Anne told her about it in Dawn's Wicked Stepsister.
Inconsistencies
- On page 105, Stacey is spelt as Stacy.
Trivia[]
- The 2022 reprint of this book, as well as the first five books of the Mystery series are being released exclusively at Walmart.
- In chapter 1, Dawn says he [Jeff] disliked Connecticut so much (and missed his dad so badly on top of it) that he ended up moving back to California to live with him. Since Dawn and Jeff have the same father, it should say “our dad”.
- Becca's favorite show is The Cosby Show.
- Mal called a teacher "Mom" once.
- Ben Hobart and Mallory Pike go on a library date in this book. Dawn reports to Mary Anne how their relationship is progressing.
- Dawn says the BSC is nuts about sitting for babies in chapter 3.
- Dawn says she likes to sit for Shea Rodowsky because he reminds her of Jeff Schafer in chapter 7. She also likes to sit for Archie because he's cute. She finds Jackie a challenge to baby-sit.
- Snake Boy Lost in San Francisco is a fake movie made up for the book. Rik Devine is also a made up movie actor.
- The Pike kids like their spaghetti served in different ways.
- Kristy and Mary Anne went shopping together at Washington Mall before the events of chapter 11.
- The whole neighborhood knows about the secret passage at this point in chapter 14.
- This is the first time there's a contest between sitters; the second time will be a nationwide search in The Fire at Mary Anne's House.
- The book’s working title was Dawn and the Mysterious Mr. X as advertised in the back of the first edition of Mary Anne Misses Logan.