The Baby-Sitters Club: Kristy's Great Idea [Hardcover]

Raina Telgemeier (Adapter), Ann M. Martin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2006 | Age Range: 9 and up

Based on Ann M. Martin's bestselling series, America's favorite baby-sitters are back -- this time, in a heart-warming and hilarious graphic novel.

In this new graphic novel edition of the very first BABY-SITTERS CLUB book, Raina Telgemeier captures all the drama of the original in warm, spunky illustrations. Witness Kristy's eureka moment, when she gets the idea for a "baby-sitters club" and enlists her best friends, shy Mary Anne and artistic Claudia, in an exciting new venture. But the baby-sitting business isn't the only thing absorbing their attention: Kristy is having a hard time accepting her stepdad-to-be, and the newest member of the gang, Stacey, seems to be hiding a secret.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7–This graphic-novel version of a popular series describes how the Baby-Sitters Club was formed, focusing on the girls' friendships and some of their amusing jobs. Subplots include Kristy's gradual acceptance of her mother's boyfriend and their eventual engagement and Stacy's medical problem (readers may think it's anorexia, but it is really diabetes). The black-and-white cartoons are clear and uncluttered, and the language is simple enough for slow or reluctant readers.–Ronnie Gordon, Brooklyn Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-6. Kristy's Great Idea (1986), the first in Martin's hugely popular Baby-Sitters Club series (which grew to more than 100 titles and generated both a TV series and a movie), returns in a successful graphic novel makeover. Comics artist Telgemeier's clean-lined, black-and-white art with stark black details nicely differentiates the four personable seventh-graders who parlay their babysitting experience into a business: artsy Claudia; overprotected Mary; Stacy, the girl with a secret; and clever, outspoken Kristy, who willingly supports her friends but refuses to give her mother an inch when it comes to a new stepfather. The story has been effectively trimmed to accommodate the format (Kristy's actions and feelings are the focus), but there's still plenty of content, comedy, action, and emotion--in both the text and the art--as the kids cope with feisty toddlers and personal problems and fight with and help one another, while modeling right behavior and the ups and downs of friendship. It's easy to see how this could evolve into a series of its own. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Age Range: 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: GRAPHIX (April 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439802415
• ISBN-13: 978-0439802413
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (95 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,463,265 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ann M. Martin is the bestselling author of the momentous series The Baby-sitters Club, as well as the Main Street series. Her other acclaimed novels include "A Dog's Life," "Belle Teal," "Here Today," and the Newbery Honor Book "A Corner of the Universe." She lives in upstate New York. For more information, visit www.scholastic.com/bsc.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 69 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What is wrong with you people??? April 8, 2006

By Tiffany

Format:Paperback

You are complaining that the books are too "nice". There's no sex, drugs, drinking, etc. They're 13!!!! And I was 8 when I started reading the BSC. Why on earth would any responsible author write a series for young girls and fill it with stuff like that. This is FICTION (yeah, look it up). An escape from reality. You want sex, drugs, drinking, turn on the TV or something. The BSC was a GREAT series. I read it for years, well into my early teens, and I recommend it to any young girl. This was the series that spawned my love of reading.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars YO! February 27, 2006

A Kid's Review

Format:Paperback

Hey, Um, you, who was talking about how you hate these books now, some people may agree with you or agree with me, but Ann Martin can't write about Claudia ,or whoever, having sex!

I mean, yeah, some stuff doens't seem real, but these were the late 80's early 90's, M.A has a boyfriend in the later stuff, I mean, but sex?

That would ruin the meaning of these books, they are supposed to be FUN, HAPPY, and some kids around 9 read these books too, I don't think they're parents would be happy having their 9yr old reading about a 13yr old having sex!!

So, Don't blame Martin, you can write your own books about people having sex, ok?

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great when I was younger, but... June 24, 2005

By Amy S.

Format:Paperback

This is the first book in a 131 book series. It is about Kristy Thomas and how she starts the baby-sitters club along with Mary-Anne Spier, Claudia Kishi, and Stacey Mcgill. It begins when Kristy watches her mom make call after call to find a baby-sitter for Kristy's little brother when Kristy and both her older brothers are busy. So she starts the club and they all get into a big fight(over what I can't tell you about; you'll just have to read it for yourself). In the end they all make-up and continue on with the club. Yeah, it's a simple plot, and is probably only going to gather 8-11 year olds these days, but read on to see what I have to say about this and other books in the series that may interest older crowds. I started reading them when I was eight and I thought they were just terrific. However, as previous reviewers have mentioned, these books are a little outdated. I do think that the other reviewers only read so many of the old ones and none of Ann M. Martin's other books related to this series, because some of the issues the reviewer's wished would have been delt with were; just not in the first 30 or so books. For example, one of the later books deal with the death of a friend due to a drunk driver. And Mary-anne's house is burned to the ground in the last book. But if older readers are looking for something to suit their age better, I would suggest reading the California Diaries books, which are about Dawn Schafer's life and the lives of her friends in diary form after she moves back to California. These books deal with such issues as Anorexia, drugs and alcohol, the death of a mother due to cancer and racial prejudice against hispanics. These books, begun writing in 1996 or '97 are a little more up to date. Also try reading Ann M. Martin's more recent books "A Corner of the Universe"(2001 Newberry Medal Winner), or "Here Today"(2004). Don't completley pass on these books, just wait it out to the later more up-dated books. Because after all, Ann M. Martin has never written a truly horribly done book, so why not see what other GREAT books she's written. Over all, I'd give this book a B- for older girls, or an A+ for younger ones.