Chapter Books A to Z: B is for The Babysitter's Club

I was recently reminded of the Ann M. Martin series The Babysitter's Club when going to my friend's house to watch her girls. The oldest daughter is 12 and the middle daughter is 10. The oldest one is a full-fledged babysitter, having completed the class this summer. Her younger sister is eagerly devouring the book series, partially in anticipation of being able to do the same before much longer.

I remember when the first book, Kristy's Great Idea came out. I was in my upper elementary years. I think I saw it in a Scholastic book order. I had my mother order it for me and I was hooked.




As the years continued, so did the number of installments in the series. I considered Kristy, Claudia, Stacey and Mary Anne to be like my real friends. I was able to relate to each one of them. Kristy was the entrepreneur of the group. Mary Anne was the bookish smart one. Claudia was the cool artist. Stacey was the cool one from the Big City, who also happened to be diabetic. Later came Dawn, with the long blonde hair. 
Most importantly, I learned a lot by reading this series. I started babysitting when I was only 11 years old. Almost 25 years later, I still do it on a regular basis. I learned how to handle sticky situations with kids. I learned the importance of bring my own bag of goodies to entertain the kids. I even tried to open up my own Babysitter's Club. But instead I ended up being the only person. I posted a sign in my parents' store, near the table where they met with customers one-on-one. That way, my parents were able to screen prospective clients. I had enough jobs to sustain my social life all the way through high school. And I learned so much about child development from my hands-on experience that I had parents asking me for parenting advice when I was merely 16 years old.
I am glad that this series is still around. It is a positive voice in this crazy modern world of literature. Click on the book cover above to explore it further.