I dashed out to Charlie's car. It is just as clunky as Nannie's. It isn't painted pink, but it's got a pair of sunglasses hanging from the rearview mirror and one of those yellow signs stuck on the back window. Charlie made the sign himself. It says "Baby-sitter on Board," since he drives me around so much and I am the president and founder of a business called The Baby-sitters Club (or the BSC). In fact, that was where he was driving me now - across Stoneybrook to my friend Claudia Kishi's house for a club meeting. Claud's bedroom is BSC headquarters.

When we reached the Kishis' house, Charlie pulled up in front, and I ran right inside and upstairs to Claud's room. The BSC members usually don't bother to ring the Kishis' bell. I feel especially comfortable barging into her house, since I lived across the street from her before my family moved to Watson's.

"Hi, everybody!" I said as I entered Claud's room.

"Everybody" was Dawn Schafer and Claudia. (Dawn is another club member.) The two of them were spying out the window.

"What's going on?" I asked. I joined them at the window.

"The new people are moving in across the street," replied Dawn.

"Oh, into Mary Anne's old house," I said. Another club member, Mary Anne Spier, who used to be my next-door neighbor, had moved recently. My old house had been bought by a really nice family, the Perkinses. Now someone had bought Mary Anne's house.

"Yeah, I noticed them when Charlie dropped me off," I continued. "Do they have any kids?" "Do they ever!" exclaimed Claudia. "Four boys, as far as we can tell. The oldest one looks like he's about eleven or twelve. He's kind of cute." "But that's not the best part," said Dawn, sounding terribly excited. "Guess what - they're Aussies!" "They're what?" I cried.

"Aussies. From Australia." "You mean Crocodile Dundee and all that stuff?" I asked, fascinated.