Remember that childhood feeling of opening those crisp pages and getting lost in a new, magical world? I couldn’t help but squeal when I saw that my favorite childhood series is getting a makeover! Ann M. Martin’s classic series The Babysitter’s Club will see a reissue and repackaged release of its first two volumes in April. AND…there’s going to be a prequel! How awesome is that?
Where other children played outside and discovered the world, the limits placed on me because of my disability evaporated the second I opened the pages of any book. It was pure magic, and one of the reasons I became a writer. xoxo
P.S. Who was your favorite Babysitter? Mine was Mary-Anne
P.P.S. What do you think of the new covers?
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Melanie's Randomness says
I remember putting in the book orders for books when I was younger & I always got the latest one. I always wanted to be a babysitter because it seemed soo cool!! hehe
Whatever Dee-Dee wants says
I never really read the books, but I LOVED the movie! I tried telling my nieces they should start reading the books.
~A says
Oh my gawd this makes me SO happy! (I may or may not have been a member of the Babysitter's Little Sister Fan Club when I was in 4th grade…)
Jamie Jenson says
I'm so excited! I read every single one of those! My Dave was Mary Anne, too. These are the types if books young girls should be reading, not Gossip Girls or the Private series (even though I love them). The new covers are very retro!
Jamie Jenson says
Dave = Fave. Darn the iPhone and its auto correct feature!
In Honor Of Design says
Oh my gosh this made my day! It was like a mini soap-opera – ha ha! Mary-Anne was my all time fave. Did you ever watch the movies? SO good:D
Julie says
Oh wow, that brought back some major childhood memories. I loved the Babysitter's Club series!
Emily says
I am so excited about the new release. This will be such a better influence on girls today than most of the publications out there today. I know they are trying to do some cultural updates to the content of the books to make it more modern-day appropriate….it should be interesting to see how they turn out! My favorite was Stacey! She was so cool!
- B says
What?! This is great! Thanks for the info! I loved these books and the movie (in all of it's mid-90s quirkiness)! When I was younger, me and friends in the neighborhood started our own babysitter's club! ^_^ Dawn was probably my favorite.
Blair says
my favorite was Christie i think…
Love your blog Melissa! — just found it for the first time a couple days ago & even posted about you on my own blog yesterday! (http://davidandblairmcleod.blogspot.com/)
i look forward to following you. you make me smile!
Melissa Blake says
oh, i loooved the movie!! Did you watch the mini-movies they came out with too?
OK, i'm going to have to look on ebay now! 🙂
Blair says
actually… it was Dawn… or maybe Claudia? I just can't decide…
Melissa Blake says
and AMEN about the books being such a better influence for girls.
Allison says
Major typos in my previous attempt to comment. aack!
Anyhow, I think I always connected with Mary Ann – kind of quiet, studious…
My friends and I started our own babysitter's club…although I'm pretty sure we spent more time making the fliers and business cards for it than we did actually garnering any business!
Jaime says
OMG I adored Babysitter's Club! This is a trip down memory lane 🙂
The Drifter and the Gypsy says
i remember reading those books! i don't remember the characters, though 🙁
but i love the new covers!
Melissa Blake says
thanks, blair!! xoxo
LiLu says
I was totally a Claudia girl. She was just so UNIQUE with her ARTY stuff!
Maggie Whitley {Gussy} says
I ♥ The Babysitter's Club — by far my favorite books as a kid 🙂
And, I loved the movie. haha!
I think my favorite was Dawn.
Alicia says
how exciting! 😉
Silvia says
Oh wow, I heard about this, but I didn't know it was already happening. I was a HUGE fan and I have tons and tons of these books at my mom's house still. Maybe it's time I dig them up and start reading them again… my favorite was also Mary Ann, and Claudia since she was so artsy. 🙂
Apryl says
I still have all my old original pre-teen editions of the BSC. Ah memories
Midwest Habitat says
I too LUV the bbsitters! Growing up my girlfriends and i swapped them like baseball cards. I only owned a few that i got for bday presents and the rest i borrowed from friends and the library but gosh i loved every moment of them. Mellissa, i need to come clean. I love to hijack all of your great pictures you use and plaster them all over my facebook! This book cover will be on my fb wall within the hour for all my old gf's to enjoy! THanks!!
Melissa Blake says
Awww, that's awesome, Midwest! xoxo
undomestic chica says
I had almost all of them! My favorite was Claudia, or Dawn, or Mary-Anne…who am I kidding? I liked them all 🙂
Lindsey says
I was an avid reader as a child too. I loved Babysitter's Club but really my absolute fave was Sweet Valley Twins and Sweet Valley High. Oh how I loved Jessica and Elizabeth! I think I still have my collection up in my parents' attic.
Thanks for helping me have an 80s flashback!
Gratefully yours,
Lindsey
H.anna Cee says
omg this brings back memories! we had such limited english novels in taipei back in the days, so it was pure joy when i would get my hands on them.
my favorite was claudia.
did you happen to read sweet valley high as well?
Melissa Blake says
gosh, i totally forgot about sweet valley high! I read those too!!! 🙂
Meg says
hahaha awesome! i LOVED the babysitter's club! this post made me smile.a.lot 🙂
Anna M Blanch says
I read them growing up in Australia. I only owned a few (maybe four or five) and i borrowed the rest from friends and the school and town library.
I liked mary-ann too, but often i felt like Claudia!
I've thought about building up a collection of these from scratch, but maybe now it will get harder to find them in second hand bookstores if they re-release them…
I also used to read that Gymnastics series as well…can't remember the name of it…
I think the books are actually quite simplistic in their prose, especially compared to Harry Potter (even though its got nothing on Tolkien or Austen) so i am not sure how wide the appeal would be.
Have you read any Madeline L'Engle or Ursula Leguin. or, Anne of Green Gables?
Melissa Blake says
Hi, Anna – i know what you mean! i want to re-read all the books now too! But they'll probably be in high demand after the re-release.