I saw what I was going through as a kid-friendship fights, crushes, growing up-and the BSC members went through the same things. The fictional characters in Stoneybrook were a very real part of my life. Like many BSC super fans, I have a strong emotional connection to these hand painted covers. I was definitely never as cool as Claudia in sixth grade-the fluffy perm I had was proof of that-but she made me feel seen. Seeing Claudia and the gang again after all these years brought back fond memories. I went on a deep dive through Soileau’s Instagram to look at the original oil paintings. Artist Hodges Soileau created most of the covers, spin-off series, and products like calendars. I had no idea that the BSC covers were originally oil paintings. Recently, I reconnected to my nostalgia for the covers when book editor Rebecca Kuss tweeted that she bought a painting of Stacey’s Mistake. Claudia stashed candy all around her room. She had spelling mistakes in her journal entries. Her grandmother Mimi lived with her family, just like mine, and she was close to her grandma, too. She was creative, wore funky earrings, and had a style all her own. Up until that point, I hadn’t ever seen an Asian American girl on a book cover.
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