Happy season two day of The Baby-Sitters Club on Netflix. I’m so glad that this series got a second season, and I’m eager to see how the new sitters are introduced. The first season did such a tremendous service to the books and added so much to make the stories more contemporary, without ever once losing the spirit of what made the books special.

I’ve written quite a bit about The Baby-Sitters Club. This includes a couple of in-depth, longform pieces about the series and why it endures. I love looking at this series as a fan, but also as someone who doesn’t consider themselves as part of the fandom — this distinction didn’t quite click for me until I read We Are The Baby-Sitters Club: Essays and Artwork from Grown-Up Readers edited by Marisa Crawford and Megan Milks. There are people like me who loved the books and appreciate them both for their staying power and for the nostalgia they bring up, and then there are people who are deeply invested in the fandom, seeking out opportunities to connect with other fans, to create fan fiction or art work, and to dig into theories and ideas about who these characters would turn out to be (if they ever leave 8th grade!). The anthology is super thought-provoking and worth picking up if you have any interest in the books at all, and it made for a great refresher before the new season of the adaptation.

Whether you’re a fan or BSC-curious or you’ve got young readers in your life who are passionate about the books (or their rad modern comic adaptations), you likely know the original series has 131 entries, alternating perspectives among the various Club members. The series launched in 1986 and ran through 1999. Ann M. Martin wrote the first 35 original books, and afterward, many were ghostwritten; you can often figure out who the ghostwriter is by the dedication page.

There are more books than those, though, as well as a number of iterations from those first novels. Let’s take a peek at some of the spin-off series, the additional series, the comics, and the one-off titles that you may or may not know.

 

 

Baby-Sitters Club Series Books

The Super Specials — 15 Titles Between 1988 and 1998

One of the things that fans love about this series is that the sitters never age. They’re in eighth grade forever, so even though club members would have been well into their 20s by the time the series wraps up, they never actually age. This means they go on about a million jobs — and adventures — over the course of a year that never ends.

The Super Specials were longer books than the OG series titles, and rather than being told from a single viewpoint, they shifted. The books were typically set on a longer adventure, so there was more time and space dedicated to preserving the memories of whatever said adventure was. Some of the titles in the Super Specials included the time that Stoneybrook was hit by a massive snowstorm and everyone was trapped in their homes, the time when the sitters went with Mallory’s family to Sea Side for vacation, and when all of the babysitters went on an RV trip across the country.

These books are still available to purchase, including in ebook format, and they’ve taken on their new looks in paperback. It’s a more comic rendition, which should appeal to new readers (though forever the originals, with their white cover and image of the sitters on their adventure, are going to stay my favorites).

 

The Mysteries — 36 Titles Between 1991 and 1998

This may have been my first encounter with mystery as a genre, as I was in my prime BSC reading years when these titles emerged. As with the original books, these titles rotated among the sitters for whose point of view it came from, and these weren’t any longer or more “bonus” titles than the initial series. Instead, what was added was a minor mystery thread through the story.

What is amazing is how much was happening in Stoneybrook and how no one seemed to think there were bigger issues going on — lots of vandalism, a whole lot of suspicious folks who seemed like they were going to commit burglary, and a lot of ghosts and missing children. That these rag tag eighth graders were on it, well, it’s impressive is all. I suspect that was what made these books so appealing, the idea that young people could be the heroes (and, of course, we can attribute that and the Mysteries to Nancy Drew and similar sleuths in children’s literature throughout time).

You can definitely still pick up many of these books on Amazon, either via ebook where they’re really inexpensive at $2-$5 a pop or print, where they’re a little pricier.

 

The Super Mysteries — 4 Titles Between 1995 and 1997

I don’t know if it’s just me, but I can imagine the meeting that happened to make this short series of books happen. There’s a big round table at Scholastic headquarters and someone suggests melding the Super Specials books with the mystery books. Then you get a longer book, as well as a book that rotates narrators within the text, AND you can include a bigger, bolder mystery for the sitters to solve.

What makes the Super Mysteries stand out, too, is they’re all seasonally-themed. The first three are Halloween/creepy/horror-y mysteries, taking place at a haunted house; Salem, Massachusetts; and in Stoneybrook, where there’s been a series of “accidents.” The final title in the Super Mysteries series takes place at Christmas.

I don’t remember these books at all, but looking at the publication dates, it makes quite a bit of sense. I was in middle school during these years and while I sure didn’t avoid BSC books, I wasn’t actively seeking them out like I was in elementary school. You can snag these still in ebook and paperback.

 

The California Diaries — 16 Titles Between 1997 and 2000

One of the founding club members, Dawn — who I’ve always had a soft sport for and am especially enamored with in the Netflix take — was from California. This is a huge piece of her character development throughout the series and she travels back and forth because her parents are divorced. This series is a spin off, following Dawn and her California friends.

What makes this collection especially interesting is that it not only tackles darker topics than the originals, but it allows the characters to age. Martin noted that she loved writing the BSC books, and she loved that they could be appealing for younger readers. But what would happen as readers grew up and as the characters themselves magically could evolve beyond their 13-year-old selves? This series was the answer.

Dawn is the only OG sitter, and titles cycle through a number of new voices. You can still purchased these titles. This series hit well after my BSC years so I never looked at them, but I’m curious how they hold up now and more, how they might compare to the kinds of YA that began hitting shelves in these years, too (hello Speak and Monster and The Perks of Being a Wallflower).

Also, how great the cover is SO DIFFERENT from the other series? It’s clear this is a whole different flavor of story.

Friends Forever — 12 Titles in 1999 and 2000

In this series, we see the sitters preparing to graduate middle school finally! There are a ton of changes happening with each of the members, and the books cycle through each of their voices as they experience huge family changes, makeups and breakups, and what happens when you have to choose between a crush and a best friend.

These are an extension of the original series, offering readers a look at “and then what…”

You can still pick these books up in print or in digital formats. The covers are way different than the original series and I’m not a huge fan — they’re super dated because of the style the models are wearing.

Perhaps that adds to the nostalgia? Hard to say. These books were out when I was myself graduating junior high and in my freshman year in high school but I never picked them up.

 

 

Friends Forever: Special — 2 Titles in 1999 and 2000

But do the babysitters ever graduate middle school? They sure do, and it happens in the final entry in the Forever Friends: Special edition. There were only two of these and in the tradition of previous Super Specials, these were longer books and rotated among the characters. The first book explores the sitters who are leaving the club and what new adventures they’re destined for. The second and final has the team attending their big graduation day.

Again with the less-than-awesome covers on these two titles. Part of it might be in addition to the styles being dated that the models don’t look like middle schoolers. I think the Netflix adaptation really made clear when characters look the right age because they are the right age.

You can grab these as ebooks or if you want to, you can spend something like $900 on the original paperbacks, which seems a little wild given the ebooks are $3. But to each!

 

 

Special Edition: Readers’ Requests — 3 Titles Between 1992 and 1994

I’ve been purposeful in not using “the girls” or other gendered language to describe the babysitters in this post because not all of the members are girls. This short series features Logan, the male associate babysitter, as well as Shannon, another of the associate members. These books were requested by readers, since neither associate had their own titles within the original series.

Logan, apparently, did a lot of weird things in his books. He was teased by the football team first because of his work with the babysitters, but then in the following book, he apparently gets involved in a gang? I didn’t read these because I wasn’t interested at the time — and I do really remember that — so I can’t explain the big flex there.

Shannon’s story follows as her mom chaperones a school trip to Paris and discovers Shannon might not be the good girl her mom thinks she is.

You can snag these on Amazon in ebook format and in some used paperback editions at non-astronomical prices.

 

Portrait Collections — 6 Titles Between 1994 and 1998

Why is it books that were essentially scrapbooks from the perspective of characters were so big in the 90s and then disappeared and we don’t see them anymore? I know the answer is that we simply don’t have series in the same way we did then, but it seems like some of the mega-popular series today would do well to expand to these sorts of ephemeral books. Peeta could easily have had his own cookbook, for example.

This short series allowed each of the babysitters who took part to write their own autobiography. Talk about fandom heaven — you could really get to know the girls beyond the basic info at the beginning of each original title and see them outside the context of the club.

As someone who was a huge Abby fan when she entered the series, I don’t remember if I actually read her edition or not. I might need to do so, since these are all available as ebooks.

 

 

Graphic Novels — 11 Titles (so far) Between 2006 and 2022

The original graphic novel series, adapted by Raina Telgemeier, hit shelves when I was working in libraries and it made me wonder whether or not the series would still resonate with young readers. They were released in 2006 through 2008, and they were in black and white. I don’t remember if I ended up buying them or not, though it did make me wander down the catalog into what of the original series were available still in the library system.

Fast forward to 2015 and the same four graphic novels were re-released, this time in full color. After Telgemeier’s rereleased titles published, Gail Galligan took over, bringing the series titles into full-color comic format from 2017. There are books under contract still, with at least one more publishing in 2022. I suspect because of the growing popularity of the series, between Netflix and millennials like me who are introducing their kids to these books, it won’t be stopping any time soon. Hooray for a whole new format to experience the series.

While Gail Galligan has done most of the newer titles, Gabriela Epstein was the artist behind Claudia and the New Girl (2021) and Chan Chau for Kristy and the Snobs (also 2021).

 

Baby-Sitters Little Sister — 122 Titles Between 1988 and 2000

I really liked this series growing up, too, despite the fact I found Karen to be pretty obnoxious. I’d check out a huge stack and knock ’em out in a couple of hours, really bulking up my summer reading club numbers.

Karen is Kristy’s step sister, and she’s much younger than the sitters themselves.

In addition to the original series, the Little Sister series also had six Super Specials (longer books, of course), along with a couple of scrapbooks and activity book one-offs. How much Scholastic was able to create these extensions is pretty impressive, given the next series in this roundup.

There are new graphic novel adaptations of the Little Sister books, too, illustrated by Katy Farina. The first six books of the series were also reprinted this year with new, updated covers.

You can get all of the series on Amazon in ebook, and if you dig, you can find the original covers in used copies of the non-reissued first books in the series (at a price…). I won’t lie: the new illustrated covers for the reissues aren’t my favorite by any stretch of the imagination. But then again, these aren’t for me, so it’s likely they’re super appealing to elementary school readers!

 

The Kids in Ms Coleman’s Class — 12 Titles Between 1995 and 1998

Get this: they made an extension of the Little Sister series, making it a some-kind-of-cousin-removed from the original series and yet, still part of the extended universe. This short series follows the kids in Ms. Coleman’s class, aka: Karen Brewer’s classmates.

They go to a zoo! They have a spelling bee! They have a snow war! This second grade class had a lot of adventures, and the series follows the various characters, as opposed to being solely from Karen’s perspective.

These were reissued in 2016 in paperback, so you can get those still, but you’re also able to snap up the ebooks at an even cheaper price.

I have zero recollection of this series, and part of me wonders if this was purposeful on the part of Scholastic. They don’t look exactly like the Little Sister books, which may have made them more inviting for readers who weren’t interested in that series. For readers OF the series, it may never have even hit their radar (and also, by 1995, I was not in the Little Sister demographic for readers, which definitely is part of it).

 

Baby-Sitters Club Stand Alone Books

I did not read any of these and have zero memory of them — save The Summer Before, which I absolutely purchased with my budget as a librarian and put a hold on immediately.

So rather than try to flub my way through, I’m going to rely on Amazon descriptions. There aren’t too many, but all of these books were fun additions and extensions to the series, which are things we still don’t quite see today when it comes to series books. (If I were thinking about this in about 2018, I’d talk about the lack of BSC coloring books, since those were a popular extension in some series).

The Summer Before (2010)

The BSC returns in this fantastic prequel from Newbery Honor author Ann M. Martin.

Before there was the Baby-Sitters Club, there were four girls named Kristy Thomas, Mary Anne Spier, Claudia Kishi, and Stacey McGill. As they start the summer before seventh grade (also before they start the BSC), each of them is on the cusp of a big change. Kristy is still hung up on hoping that her father will return to her family. Mary Anne has to prove to her father that she’s no longer a little girl who needs hundreds of rules. Claudia is navigating her first major crush on a boy. And Stacey is leaving her entire New York City life behind…

Postcard Book (1991)

Literally, a collection of Baby-Sitters Club postcards.

Ann M. Martin: The Story of the Author of The Baby-Sitters Club (1993)

A look at the life of the creator of “The Baby-Sitters Club” series discusses her childhood in Princeton, New Jersey, her own babysitting adventures, her first published book, and her family.

Baby-Sitters Guide to Baby-Sitting (1993)

The members of the Baby-sitters Club and real baby-sitters offer advice on starting a club, changing diapers, helping kids to bed, what to do in an emergency, and other topics. Original.

The Complete Guide to The Baby-Sitters Club (1996)

A guide to the popular series contains a map of Stoneybrook, along with eight sections of facts about the club, the club’s members, and the families of Stoneybrook

Secret Santa (1994)

Kristy, Claudia, and the rest of the Baby-sitters Club work hard to make one little girl’s Christmas holidays the best ever, in an entertaining package that includes a storybook, greeting cards, letters, and a friendship necklace.

Chain Letter (1993)

While Kristy is in the hospital recovering from an appendectomy, she receives a chain letter for telling secrets, which throughout the summer circulates around the United States to her fellow club members, who are having better summer vacations than Kristy.While Kristy is in the hospital recovering from an appendectomy, she receives a chain letter for telling secrets, which throughout the summer circulates around the United States to her fellow club members, who are having better summer vacations than Kristy

Trivia and Puzzle Fun Book by Adam and Kara Adamo (1992)

A collection of trivia questions and puzzles tests readers knowledge of the Baby-sitters Club books, asking for such information as the name of Stacey’s teddy bear, the principal of Stoneybrook Middle School, and more.

 

 

Did I miss any? Did you have any favorites growing up or as an adult? I’d also love to hear if you’re a parent or teacher or librarian, whether or not you’ve shared these with your young readers and their response!