Which Baby-Sitters Club Book Was Your Favorite?

Kristy’s Great Idea (The Baby-Sitters Club Series # 1), by Ann M. Martin
If your young reader is just getting started with this addictive series then they should definitely start at the first book, Kristy’s Great Idea. You get to meet all the club members—Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, and Stacey—and find out how they came to form this club in the first place. After Kristy notices how hard it is for her mom to find a sitter for her younger brother, she decides the demand is there for a babysitters club, and she’s going to start one. With only one call you’ll find a perfect sitter; it’s a genius idea that spawned lots of real life babysitters clubs all over suburbia. In this book you can figure out which character you are most like and which one would be your best friend. If your reader prefers a graphic novel, there now is also a full-color illustrated version of Kristy’s Great Idea by Raina Telgemeier!  SO wish this version had existed when I was a kid!

Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls (The Baby-Sitters Club Series #2), by Ann M. Martin 
Ohmygod this book totally scared me as a young babysitter! The girls discover that a burglar is on the loose and calling houses to see if the family is home so he can see who to rob next. Yikes! Just around this time, Claudia and the babysitters start getting some mysterious hang ups. Luckily the girls have each other to rely on to solve the mystery of the Phantom Phone Caller. This book is an age-appropriate amount of spooky; just leave the lights on and your phone on mute.

Dawn and the Impossible Three (The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novel # 5): A Graphix Book, by Gale Galligan
It’s so cool to see The Baby-Sitters Club books interpreted by different illustrators, and this book by cartoonist Gale Galligan is a visual treat. Dawn arrives to Stonybrook from California and joins the Babysitters Club. Her first job, watching the three wild Barrett kids, is one that would send any sitter running. Can Dawn tough it out and fit in with her new gig and new CT town? With new fabulous illustrations coupled with the original great story, what’s not to love?

The Truth about Stacey (Baby-Sitters Club Series #3), by Ann M. Martin
Middle school is hard enough, but Stacey has to handle 7th grade life while holding a big secret, that she has diabetes. Kids can sometimes be cruel when someone is different, and Stacey learns this the hard way. Luckily she moves from NYC to Stoneybrook and meets the babysitters (although she has to go back to the city a lot for doctor appointments). Her new bff’s have her back, no matter what. This book taught me about diabetes at an age when I didn’t have any information about the disease.

Karen’s Witch (Baby-Sitters Little Sister #1), by Ann M. Martin
Perhaps only Baby-Sitters Club superfans will know about this spin-off series starring Kristy’s younger stepsister Karen, but this series is perfect for younger Baby-Sitters Club readers! In the first book Karen is convinced her old neighbor Mrs. Potter is a witch. Will Mrs. Potter cast a spell on Karen? Or will Karen discover that perhaps people are not always the way they first appear? (Even those with black cats named Midnight.)