I was totally surprised to see Sangerin's comment that she read the books when she was 12 'cause I feel like they're the kind of books one reads when one is significantly younger than the protagonists. I know I was reading them when I lived on West St., and we moved from that house just before I turned 11, but I remember having the first book with my friend Rose who moved away I think at least a year before I did. So I was age 10 or younger?

But yeah, the BSC kids seemed SO grown-up when I first read them . . . but from the perspective of actually being in their ostensible peer group . . . the view is a bit different.