Kristy's Great Idea

Entrepreneurship is a central motif in the story, enabling the characters’ self-growth. Kristy has the initial idea for the club, primarily wanting to help out families in Stoneybrook but also wanting a way to earn money and bring her friends closer together again. She immediately gets to work planning the details of the club and recruits Mary Anne and Claudia, who also recruits Stacey.

When the club has four members, it is diverse and large enough to accommodate almost anyone who calls. The girls create a newspaper ad and pool their money to fund it, as well as distribute flyers. They demonstrate poise and respect when interacting with clients, and they delegate official positions among themselves to help their club run smoothly. When problems arise, the girls find ways to prevent them from reoccurring, such as when they decide to keep a log of their experiences. Each of the girls finds that they gain confidence, support, and new skills by being a part of the club: Kristy makes peace with Watson and realizes that she makes a great leader, Claudia demonstrates wisdom in conflict resolution, Mary Anne finds the nerve to stand up to her father, and Stacey finally finds the friends and acceptance she always wanted.