The Baby-Sitters Club Wiki
Register
Advertisement
The Baby-Sitters Club Wiki

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

Teenagers

Adults

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

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.

Gallery[]

Mystery Books
#1 Stacey and the Missing Ring | #2 Beware, Dawn! | #3 Mallory and the Ghost Cat | #4 Kristy and the Missing Child | #5 Mary Anne and the Secret in the Attic | #6 The Mystery at Claudia's House | #7 Dawn and the Disappearing Dogs | #8 Jessi and the Jewel Thieves | #9 Kristy and the Haunted Mansion | #10 Stacey and the Mystery Money | #11 Claudia and the Mystery at the Museum | #12 Dawn and the Surfer Ghost | #13 Mary Anne and the Library Mystery | #14 Stacey and the Mystery at the Mall | #15 Kristy and the Vampires | #16 Claudia and the Clue in the Photograph | #17 Dawn and the Halloween Mystery | #18 Stacey and the Mystery at the Empty House | #19 Kristy and the Missing Fortune | #20 Mary Anne and the Zoo Mystery | #21 Claudia and the Recipe for Danger | #22 Stacey and the Haunted Masquerade | #23 Abby and the Secret Society | #24 Mary Anne and the Silent Witness | #25 Kristy and the Middle School Vandal | #26 Dawn Schafer, Undercover Baby-sitter | #27 Claudia and the Lighthouse Ghost | #28 Abby and the Mystery Baby | #29 Stacey and the Fashion Victim | #30 Kristy and the Mystery Train | #31 Mary Anne and the Music Box Secret | #32 Claudia and the Mystery in the Painting | #33 Stacey and the Stolen Hearts | #34 Mary Anne and the Haunted Bookstore | #35 Abby and the Notorious Neighbor | #36 Kristy and the Cat Burglar
Super Mysteries
#1 Baby-sitters' Haunted House | #2 Baby-sitters Beware | #3 Baby-sitters' Fright Night | #4 Baby-sitters' Christmas Chiller
Other Series
Baby-Sitters Club | Super Special | Portrait Collection | Readers' Request | Baby-sitters Club: Friends Forever | California Diaries | Baby-Sitters Little Sister | The Kids in Ms. Colman's Class
Advertisement