BSC057 - Dawn Saves the Planet - Martin, Ann M.

    Chapter 1.

    "Do you think kids can save the planet?" That was the question my science teacher Mrs. Gonzalez asked my class at Stoneybrook Middle School today. Most of the class just sat there like lumps staring at her.

    But not me. I raised my hand and practically shouted, "Yes, of course!" I'm Dawn Schafer. I'm thirteen years old and have been known to be pretty outspoken when it comes to environmental issues or organic food. My friends in the BSC (Baby-sitters Club) say I'm a health food nut, just because I don't eat junk food and red meat. (The sight of a hot dog makes me want to gag!) But my mom and I have always eaten healthy things like raw vegetables, tofu, and brown rice. We feel better because of our diet.

    Mary Anne, my, stepsister, is the complete opposite of me. She's not a junk-food addict, but she does like cookies and candy and hamburgers and French fries, and so does her dad, Richard. Which makes meals at our house pretty crazy.

    Guess what. I'm not from around here. I was born in California. So how did I get to Stoneybrook, Connecticut? Well, you see my mom was born here but years ago she moved to California, where she met and married my dad. Unfortunately, things didn't work out between them. When they got divorced, she brought me and my brother Jeff back to Stoneybrook.

    At first, I didn't like Stoneybrook very much, but things really changed after I met Mary Anne. We became instant best friends, even though we're as different as night and day. She's short, with brown eyes and brown hair. I'm tall with white-blonde hair that comes down to my waist, plus I've got blue eyes.

    Mary Anne is sort of preppie when it comes to clothes. She wears pleated wool skirts and neat white blouses, stuff like that, while I have my own style of dress that my friends in the BSC call California Casual.

    Speaking of the BSC, right after I met Mary Anne, she introduced me to her friends in the Baby-sitters Club. They asked me to join and now the BSC is one of the most important things in my life.