As an avid reader growing up, I spent a lot of time at the local library which was literally across the street from my house. As soon as I’d walk in, I’d make a beeline for the middle grade section to the two shelves that housed The Baby-sitters Club series.
Over time, I made my way through the series in no particular order, picking up two or three stories at a time until I had read every book on the shelf. As an adult, I’ve been rereading my way through the series, picking up ratty copies in used book stores or pulling them from Little Free Libraries, and I’m having just as much fun reading them now as I did back then.
This is one of the series that made me want to become a writer. So, it’s been great to reread a half a dozen books or so each year as a source of both nostalgia and inspiration. Below are 10 of my favorite Baby-sitters Club Books in the order that they were released.
FYI, I know I don’t have any Jessi books on my list, but I always felt like Jessi got really shortchanged with the story ideas. She’s a great character who deserved a lot better. But she’s a valuable member of the club and makes a great team with best friend Mallory. So, don’t think I forgot about her.
Kristy’s Great Idea
Book 1
Four 13-year-old girls from Stoneybrook Middle School named Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, and Stacey, form the Baby-sitters Club after Kristy watches her single mom struggle to find a sitter for her little brother one evening. This gives her the idea to create a business where parents can reach a group of babysitters, guaranteeing that there is always someone available to sit for their kids.
The first installment in the series is one of my favorites because it is such a strong start. Making this list has made me realize that Kristy is probably my favorite sitter in the bunch, and I love how this story sets the tone and the formula for the rest of the book.
Each installment contains a chapter breaking down the roles and personalities of every club member. In fact, it’s a chapter that I tend to skim over when I read because it’s more for readers who may be reading the series for the first time rather than hardcore fans who already know all of this introductory information.
But in this case, this is the first time we actually meet the girls and learn their backstories and how they each earn their titles in the club. The BSC notebook is also introduced in this book, and readers are introduced to the girls writing in their own voice and being assigned their own handwriting and writing style at the beginning of those babysitting chapters.
Even though it is an origin story, the book still has plenty of babysitting adventures, most of which lead to a pretty rocky start to the club. But it just goes to show how determined, experienced, and good these girls are at their jobs. That, along with its iconic (original) cover art makes it one of the best in the bunch.
The Truth About Stacey
Book 3
As a rival babysitting club threatens their business, Stacey finds that she can no longer hide her diabetes diagnosis from her friends or her charges. Meanwhile, her parents schedule more tests in New York to try to find a better treatment, and even a cure, to her condition.
Growing up, I knew people who had diabetes, but I didn’t really understand why it was a serious issue until learning about Stacey McGill’s diagnosis in these books. Stacey’s Type 1 diabetes was diagnosed late in her childhood, and it is very difficult to control.
To Stacey, her diabetes makes her different from her friends and peers. So, she tries to hide it out of embarrassment, but it’s hard when you have junk food junkie Claudia passing around cookies and candy during every club meeting or the girls wanting to throw pizza parties and other pig out sessions.
Stacey has the reputation of being sophisticated and put together. So, letting everyone know about her condition makes her feel vulnerable and unworthy of this images. Lucky for her, the club and everyone else she is close with accepts her diagnosis and doesn’t make her feel weird for having it. It’s not even the first thing that I think of when I think of Stacey, but it is a very real and interesting plot point to follow throughout the series.
Kristy’s Big Day
Book 6
Kristy’s mother and her fiancé, Watson, only have a few weeks to pull off a backyard wedding. As they rally their adult guests to come and help plan and pull off the ceremony, they realize that this leaves them with no childcare. Kristy steps in and volunteers the club to spend the week babysitting the friends and relatives of the family. The job comes with a very large payday, but it also puts their babysitting skills to the test as they juggle multiple ages, personalities, and challenges.
Kristy’s Big Day is a very realistic representation of trying to pull off a big event and of biting off more than you can chew. You have children who cry when their parents leave them, those who think they can misbehave with no adults around, and little babies who need constant care.
The club plans accordingly, organizing groups, creating nametags, and planning activities based on the day’s schedule, the weather, and what they learn from day to day. In between, Kristy has to juggle between watching the kids and going to her own wedding preparation appointments. But the club has her back and gets to celebrate with a fun wedding at the end of the week.
One thing I really like about this story is how excited Kristy gets for the wedding, despite knowing that she will be moving across town and still being unsure about her new stepdad. But she’s completely onboard for the wedding itself, even briefly ditching her tomboyish ways to get excited about wearing a bridesmaid’s dress. It shows just how three-dimensional these characters are and how they aren’t relegated to their distinguished personalities.
Boy-Crazy Stacey
Book 8
Stacey and Mary Anne are hired to accompany the Pikes on their summer vacation to the Jersey Shore for two weeks. While there, Stacey crushes on an older guy who is working as lifeguard near the beach house where they are staying. Taking every opportunity to spend time near his posting leaves Mary Anne to deal with the kids on her own, causing a rift between the two friends.
I love the BSC summer vacation stories, and this is a good one because of all of the beachy activities that they get to do and the little independence the two sitters are afforded during their trip. Stacey comes off as a bit of an unreliable narrator, and we see a dark side to Mary Anne who isn’t afraid to stand up for herself when she sees herself being taken advantage of.
This story is about understanding that maturity is about being responsible and acting your age rather than trying to impress someone who is older. And Stacey learns the lesson that she’s still a kid in many ways and not to be so boy crazy, especially when you’re on the clock.
The Ghost at Dawn’s House
Book 9
Dawn becomes obsessed with the secret passage that she has recently found in her old, spooky farmhouse. But she becomes even more obsessed with the fact that there are weird noises coming from passage, leading her to wonder if her house is haunted.
Like Stacey, Dawn Schafer is a transplant from the far away land of California. Known as a laid back health nut still struggling with her parents’ divorce, Dawn doesn’t usually like to stir up drama. But there’s no denying that there’s something strange happening in her house, and we get to see a side of Dawn whose imagination runs wild and detective skills are put to the test to find out if there is a ghost at her house.
As a lifelong horror fan, I loved the idea of incorporating a paranormal element into the BSC universe. Unfortunately, the ghost theory has a logical explanation behind it. But the old, creaky farmhouse is a great image as is the eeriness that these ethereal sounds create.
I also love the bullying subplot that is worked into the story. It ties in nicely to some of the issues that the club has to deal with as part of their job duties. And the sleepover with the 80’s movie binge at the end makes me yearn for the good old days of staying up half the night watching rented movies and munching on snacks. It feels like a reward for a job well done.
Claudia and the Bad Joke
Book 19
Claudia breaks her leg while sitting for notorious prankster, Betsy Sobak. The incident upsets her so much that she considers quitting the club.
Claudia is one of the most interesting club members. She goes through a lot throughout the course of the series, and those things are always pulling focus away from her love of the BSC. But she always finds her way back and perseveres through her challenges.
The BSC books never gloss over big life events. We get to see exactly what it’s like to break your leg, how it feels, all of the hoops you have to jump through, and how long the recovery is. This incident is constantly being referred to in future books as whoever is narrating will mention the fact that Claudia will prop her leg up when it is aching during rainy weather.
Another lesson this book teaches is that pranks can be funny, but they can also be dangerous. I used to be a prankster until I realized that they can be taken too far, if not physically then emotionally. And I’m glad that my pranks never resulted in a broken bone for anyone.
Mallory and the Trouble with Twins
Book 21
Mallory sits for Marilyn and Carolyn Arnold, identical twin girls who are a real handful. The girls like to switch places, speak in their own language, and do whatever they can to make Mallory’s babysitting jobs miserable. As she gets to know the girls better, though, Mallory finds that their misbehaving is more of a cry for individuality and attention from their parents, and once she cracks that code, she comes up with a plan to get them to listen to her once and for all.
Mallory and the Trouble with Twins is the first book that I selected in the BSC series. I picked it because of its colorful cover and my mini obsession with twins. This book comes at a point in the series when our characters are well developed, but because of its introductory chapters and formulaic style, it’s not hard to catch up to where the club is in their journey.
Mallory is one of the younger members. At 11 years old, she isn’t much younger than I was when I first started reading the series. Like me, she also comes from a large family and wants to be a writer when she grows up. So, I definitely related to her, and I felt like she was really sharp and mature for age, able to figure out how to deal with the Arnold twins and help them at the same time.
This story hooked me to the series and made me want to become a babysitter one day, which I did, and remained one for many years. It also introduced me to Pig Latin and to the idea that you shouldn’t treat twins like one person but as individuals with their own personalities, interests, and lives.
Mary Anne and the Search for Tigger
Book 25
Mary Anne’s beloved cat, Tigger, has gone missing. Knowing how attached to Tigger she is, the BSC and several of their charges conduct a search for him. Then, a ransom note written in a child’s handwriting turns up, and Mary Anne realizes that Tigger isn’t missing so much as kidnapped, and she and the BSC form a plan to get him back.
This book reminds me of a moment in the fourth grade when I was carrying a borrowed copy on top of my Trapper Keeper, and a friend asked me what I was reading. “Mary Anne and the search for Tiger,” I answered, and she responded, “Tigger. It’s Mary Anne and the Search for Tigger” and proceeded to run her finger across the title.
Throughout the entire series, I’d been reading the cat’s name as Tiger. To cover my mistake, I explained to her, “Yeah, I know, but I like the name Tiger better,” and she shrugged and said, okay in a way that made me wonder if she bought it or not.
This story is suspenseful in that lighthearted BSC way. You know Mary Anne will get the cat back. You just have to find out who took him.
I always rooted for Mary Anne because she was shy, like me. She had also lost her mother as a baby and didn’t have someone to show her the ropes in her teen years. She does the best she can, and her friends don’t expect anything more from her. In fact, all they need to know is that she loves her cat, and they will drop everything to help her get him back, and that’s the kind of friends every girl should have growing up.
Mary Anne and the Great Romance
Book 30
Mary Anne’s father and Dawn’s mother are getting married. The news is so exciting until Mary Anne realizes that they’ll be moving into Dawn’s house after the wedding, and she will be leaving the only home she has ever known.
Another wedding book in the BSC series makes my list. I love the big events because they get worked into the canon of the story. From here on out, Mary Anne and Dawn are stepsisters. The two have always been close since Dawn’s introduction to the series, but this really cements their relationship. It also creates further tension between best friends Mary Anne and Kristy. Kristy definitely feels the jealousy bubbling over at times, and it’s something that Mary Anne is sensitive to.
However, Kristy has nothing to worry about right away as this book is the first in a two-parter. Its companion book is Dawn’s Wicked Stepsister which shows just how smooth the transition from friends to stepsisters is for the two sitters.
The Portrait Collection – Abby’s Book
BSC member Abby writes her life story growing up with a twin sister, her father’s sudden death, and her eventual move to Stoneybrook. The memoir is part of a school assignment that she passes with flying colors and gives the reader a deep dive into this character’s backstory.
Abby wasn’t on my radar until I was gifted this book as a birthday present towards the end of my BSC era, at least in my childhood years. I didn’t know what to expect from Abby since I hadn’t read any installments that she was in beforehand. But she’s a very likable character who has overcome many social obstacles and tragedies.
I could never fathom how a kid could deal with the death of a parent. The portrayal in Abby’s book is very raw but also very triumphant. It shows how life can go on after death, and, not only that, life can be good again.
The entire portrait series subgenre of the BSC is really awesome, but because this one was my first read in the series, it has become my favorite. And that is why it makes my top 10 list.
What are your favorite books in The Baby-sitters Club series? Leave your answers in the comments below!
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