'The Baby-Sitters Club' Called Back To Order

Today’s Ypulse Youth Advisory Board post comes from Caroline Marques in response to the upcoming revival of “The Baby-sitter’s Club.”  As one of the many Gen Y fans who recall the series “with rabid passion” (thanks, New York Times), I was curious to hear how younger readers were taking the comeback news. I figured, even though today’s teens fall out of the age range (which Scholastic has smartly shifted from 8-12 down to 7-10), it’s the approval of older sisters, cousins, counselors, etc. that will be what carries the series’ success to today’s tweens (vs. updates that change cassette tapes into headphones). Caro felt a little differently, but I’ll let her explain. Remember, you can communicate directly with any member of the Ypulse Youth Advisory Board by emailing them at youthadvisoryboard at ypulse.com…or just leave a comment.

‘The Babysitters Club’ Called Back To Order

There’s a new prequel coming out.  No, it’s not the prequel to modern clique lit series “Gossip Girl,” or “The Clique.” This prequel will be about friends, not frienemies, and it may excite moms as much as teens and tweens. It’s “The Baby-Sitters Club.”

I remember reading this series religiously when I was younger. For those who don’t know already, it’s the ongoing adventures of best friends in middle school, who organize a baby-sitter’s club for the town of Stoneybrook, Connecticut. Meanwhile, they have to deal with family drama, boys and friends along the way. The series sold about 176 million copies, and the author, Ann M. Martin, has become beloved by many who grew up with her stories.

After going out of print last year, Scholastic announced the first two volumes of the original series are going to be rereleased, and Ann M. Martin will write the aforementioned prequel. I just heard this news recently, and it made me smile. I think I speak for a lot of girls and women when I say I grew up with these characters, knew the movie by heart and also spent a good amount of time wishing I had my own “Baby-Sitter’s Club.”

These books are something that stayed in my memory for a long time, and it was a shame that they started to fall out of style in the past decade. Now we see 10-year-olds talking about things that 17-year-olds talk about. When my generation and older ones read those books, we were hopeful, innocent eight-year-olds excited to follow the relatable ups and downs of suburban pre-teen life through the eyes of Kristy and company. Maybe I’m wrong, but with the way TV and books have changed, I’m not sure a kid from the oughts [2000’s] would appreciate that simple a set-up at first glance.

Still, when I look back at the hundred-plus books in this series, I remember them as inspiring, addictive and interesting, and I’m excited for today’s tweens to have a chance to appreciate a BSC comeback. I think the prequel should be in the same style as all the other books,  especially if the fan base these days will be filled with old readers rather than new ones (although that might change). The books are good the way they are, and if I were a tween right now I’d probably enjoy them even with the differences between then and now. I fell in love with “The Baby-Sitter’s Club,” as did many others both older and younger than me, and I hope we won’t be the last.

About Caroline

Caroline is an American student in eleventh grade in Geneva, Switzerland and enjoys it a lot. This year will be her second year serving on the Youth Advisory Board, which she loves because she’s currently an international student and she likes keeping up with the numerous U.S. trends in various departments. Between YAB, sports, school (as well as traveling, trying to master several languages, spending a lot of time on the computer, writing long papers, music and watching American TV), she doesn’t have a lot of time on her hands, but always finds time for the two passions she’s always had: reading and writing.

For more coverage of YA books and publishing, check out the Ypulse Books Channel sponsored by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, publishers of Beautiful Creatures