Kristy's Great Idea – Baby-Sitters Club Book #1

One of the best parts about the Pop Sugar Reading Challenge is forcing myself to read books that I wouldn’t normally read. The challenge I picked up this week was “A Book From Your Childhood”. I instantly knew which book I would pick.

A few months ago The Baby-Sitters Club #1: Kristy’s Great Idea was a freebie on Amazon Kindle. I picked it up, as I often do, in case I ever spent time reading with my nieces or wanted to share one of my favorite book series with them someday. I LOVED Baby-Sitters Club as a kid (although, NOTHING topped Sweet Valley Kids).

I am sure I was 10 or 11 when I first read this book, obviously going back to it 18/19 years later I had a different excitement. The book is geared towards pre-teen kids. It is very safe and not filled with anything inappropriate. Although some Amazon reviews seem to think that it should be.

Kristy’s Great Idea is the formation of the Baby-Sitters Club, a place that parents can call at specific times and get access to 4 baby-sitters at one time. The book follows Kristy, Mary-Anne, Stacy & Claudia as they experience their first jobs as members of the club.

Throughout the book Ann M. Martin also addresses issues of divorce, diabetes & friendship at various levels. There is a tad bit of “girls like boys” in this book but nothing more than kidding around.

While Kristy is the focus of this book, the series ultimately does spend time focusing on each of the club members (and additional ones that join the club later on).

As a kid I remember many occasions where we all wanted to form our own baby-sitters club, then again who didn’t after reading these books?

There is no question in my mind that I think all kids should at least be exposed to this series. It’s a wonderful series (especially for girls) to watch girls grow up and learn about life, all while tying in baby-sitting.

I believe these books are still in print but if not they are available on Kindle! I was so excited to find that out. I may not always sneak them in but sometimes it’s fun to relive your childhood.

Do you have any books from your childhood that you often run back to?