The Kristy's Great Idea (The Baby-Sitters Club, #1)

Ah nostalgia. I devoured these books when I was a young girl, and decided to reread them as part of my read-as-many-kids'-books-as-I-can mission that I just started. I still find them to be fun and sweet, and more importantly, packed with memories of my own childhood. I can see why they especially

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appealed to me as kid. The main characters are very different, so that each child is sure to find someone to relate to (Mary Anne was me when I was younger). The characters present different family structures, too, including parents that are divorced and get remarried. As a child of a very mixed family myself, it was comforting to read about other kids living through such situations. Not only living through them, but finding joy and happiness in their new families.

Another factor in my old addiction to this series was the main theme of the books - babysitting. The girls form a babysitter's club, where they work together to gather clients and keep records of their babysitting appointments, and generally get to hang out and promote an activity that they all love. This first book is the gathering of the club, along with a few relationship tensions that arise and are diffused by the end of the story. Everything in that idea appealed to me: the club (my sisters and I were forever making new clubs that lasted about a month), the babysitting (I had dreams of grandeur of being a world-class babysitter, even though I hardly ever had a job), the notebook (I loved the journal that recorded their various experiences), the best friends (I would have given a lot to actually be friends with the four girls), and even the food (Claudia always had junk food hidden around her room, which made me wish I could look in my pillowcase and find a Hershey bar). The stories created a a fantasy that I happily pulled around me like a warm and fuzzy blanket.

As an adult returning to these stories, I can appreciate why I loved them as a kid, and I can still say that they are quick and enjoyable reads, even as I now notice issues that bother me or throw me out of the story. For instance, the writing. Martin uses a lot of exposition, rather than showing us - like using several paragraphs to summarize a family dynamic, instead of letting us gradually meet and get to know characters. Or describing why Kristy feels distant from Claudia, instead of letting that tension unfold. Her style, too, would catch me and make me think, huh, that could be written better. Not that it was ungrammatical or incorrect, but there were places where I felt like I could see the bones of the writing itself shining through the story, where it was clear the author felt the need to push the plot forward here, or explain the character's motivations there. I think a lot of children's literature used to be written like this. Books were plot-driven, with no need for figurative language or narrative excellence. Now, with the proliferation of children's literature that displays a writing quality equaling the excellence that can be found for older readers, I really notice that type of quick and sloppy writing.

Despite these drawbacks, I still spent a pleasant couple of hours revisiting old friends. The story is compelling, very uplifting, and the characters are well rounded. The action skips along at a quick pace. I am certainly going to read more of this series as I continue my child book bonanza.

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The book that started it all, the first BSC book. Kristy has a wonderful idea to start a baby-sitting service with her friends.

The first-ever BSC book, where Kristy first gets her Great Idea to start a baby-sitting club! Very, very good book.

This was a fantastic series....I always wanted to have my very own babysitters club!

I used to absolutely love these books when I was in elementary school (and junior high, probably)! I am only putting the first one down because I don't want to list all 50-something (however many there are).

Kristy starts a babysitting club with her friends in this new edition, which reformats the familiar series in a modern graphic novel format.

The fresh tone adds new appeal to a story that is really quite sweet and appropriate for young readers. The four friends work together to start their

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business, dealing with issues of blended families, secret diabetes, and strict parents. The illustrations are very appropriate for middle graders. One gripe: in the black and white format, all characters look exactly the same except for variations on hair and outfit, rendering the multicultural representations a bit hollow.

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This book is about a group of girls who come together and create a babysitting business known as "The Babysitter's Club". It revolves around their ups and downs as they establish their club, and the crazy antics they experience at their babysitting jobs. It is a great read for young girls because

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they can relate to at least one of the characters in the book.

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This is a Babysitters Club graphic novel about four friends who decide to start a babysitting club. Each of the girls face different challenges children their age may be facing. One girl parents got divorced and she is trying to learn how to deal with her mother’s new boyfriend. Another girl has

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juvenile diabetes and has to build up the courage to tell her friends. The friends have issues and fight like normal friends but find a way to work through their issues.
This is a graphic novel.
I thought this book was really great and fun to read. I used to read the Babysitters Club novels when I was younger so it is great to see these books reinvented for children. It teaches a lot of great lessons about friendship and also handling tough issues such as divorce and diabetes.

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This is actually close to four stars for me, but not quite. I'm reserving judgement till I can read more books. I saw the movie for the first time when I was about thirteen and I would say I have rewatched it every two years since. This is the very beginning of the club. While not all the stories

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were engaging, the general atmosphere was really nice and I loved reading about the girls' friendships, I look forward to more stories. I found interesting how Martin tackled the issue of adolescence here by showing Kristy and Mary Anne who are quite firmly still attached to their childhood and Stacey and Claudia on the other hand who, in Kristy's words, are 'more sophisticated'. It's a very simplistic dichotomy of course but I'd love to see it explored more in other books.

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This graphic novel, based on the first book in Ann M. Martin's Baby-Sitter's Club series, really captures the spirit of the original series. When Kristy notices her mom having trouble finding a babysitter for her younger brother, Kristy comes up with a great idea! She and her friends will start a

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baby-sitter's club so that parents can call one number and reach a network of sitters. Kristy rounds up her best friends Mary-Anne and Claudia and a new friend, Stacey. The club is a great idea, but do the girls have what it takes to make it work? Can their friendship survive the new business arrangements? And why is Stacey acting so strange?

Highly recommended for fans of the original series and for girls grade 3-6.

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You know, I read almost every one of the Babysitter's club books when I was a pre-teen a million years ago and recently I found copies of a lot of them, including ones I've not read yet. I still love them just as much as I did when I was young. It's strange how I was transported back to laying in

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the grass in my yard, reading a book when I read it.The books are still relevant, still fresh, still address things teens and pre-teens are facing. I think a lot more young girls should read them even if the series is over 20 years old.

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A bunch of friend's create a babysitting club to earn money. This book shows you a way you can make honest money and have fun at the same time.

It all began with a great idea...Kristy Thomas' brilliant business plan to form a club of friends who will babysit for neighbours gets off to a flying start wit the help of Claudia Kishi (vice-president), Mary Anne Spier (secretary), and Stacey McGill (treasurer). Friendships are forged, adventures

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begun and life lessons learned in the first book of the series that took the world by storm.

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Lord almighty, I had every single book in this series growing up, including the vacation specials. I was obsessed - couldn't wait to be thirteen and start my own babysitting club. I always fancied myself a "Claudia", but I was a "Dawn" at heart. My only regret now is that they are out of print!

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(well, anything past 1-4)

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A faithful retelling of the original story. The characters aren't exactly how I imagined them, but I'm okay with the rendition given.

Very good book. Got easily into it,

Five stars hands down, my favorite series of all. Times have changed but this is a classic. Characters are still very relatible. Teens as well as pre-teens can connect with the group of girls who got together to do something they were all passionate about. Must read!

Summary: This is a group of short stories about a group of friends who decide to open a business as babysitters. Each girl has different problems that they deal with throughout the series. This is the beginning of the BabySitter's Club and the beginning of a great set of stories.

Personal Reaction:

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I have loved these books since I was a young teen. I think they are greatly written books.

Classroom Extensions:
1. This would be a good book to read when talking about learning responsibilities.
2. This book could be read to the class and have the students write about a business they would like to start today at their age...just for fun!

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I read this because my daughter is a huge fan. I've read snippets here and there for her bedtime but this was my first time ending the whole story. The story is very empowering and handles sensitive issues like divorce and being accepted with a chronic illness with grace. Plus, the artwork by Raina

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Telegmeier is great -- simple lines but not overly-simplistic drawings. Highly recommended for tween girls.

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I read pretty much all of these when I was younger - and had my friends been open to the idea (and if there'd been actual youngsters to babysit) I'm pretty sure I would have started something similar to the club. They were so organized and efficient, I loved that!

I feel as if I read a few books in this series when I was younger (out of order, because I'm an animal), but I didn't really remember much. One of my aunts had a pop up scrapbook that I thought was SOO COOL! It letters, and journal entries, and postcards that you could take out, all I wanted to do

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was join a babysitter's club. It looked so cool! Basically this book starts the series that lasts FOR INFINITY (they even have new graphic novels now). Four twelve year old girls decide to start a baby-sitting group to bring in more clients and make more money. They deal with personal problems along the way, strict parents, diabetes, divorce, and boys but they band together and decide that they'll stick together. All four girls are wildly different so I can see where the allure is in the series. I kinda want to read another one to see what shenanigans they get into!

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Can't believe I just found out about these books! I loved the first one. Raina is awesome.
The graphic novel format really makes the characters and stories come to life.

I enjoy Telgemeier's style of graphics for these stories. She does a wonderful job with the character expressions. Lots of fun to read.

I loved this series in middle school. I think there were always a couple I missed here and there, but at some point I read most of the series. I'm re-reading the first few now.