Neither envisioned its huge success: Since the first book was published in 1986, more than 50 others have joined the club and there currently are 50 million copies in print. 'The Baby-sitters Club' series was born over lunch with her editor at Scholastic Books seven years ago.

Martin unwittingly may have been drawing on her own experience when she wrote this scene. 'Then the idea for the Baby-sitters Club came to me and I almost choked.'Īnn M. I thought it was too bad that David Michael had to sit there and feel like he was causing a lot of trouble just because he was only 6 years old and couldn't take care of himself yet. 'I chewed away at a gloppy mouthful of cheese and pepperoni and thought it was too bad that Mom's pizza had to get cold while she made all these phone calls. And every other eligible neighborhood kid was unavailable. Kristy already was commited to baby-sit for another family. On that day, her mom was having difficulty locating a babysitter for David Michael, Kristy's little brother. I got the idea on the first Tuesday afternoon of seventh grade.' 'I think of something to say,' she tells us, 'and I say it. On the contrary, she's plucky and resourceful. and doesn't send Mom much child support money. It's not her fault that Dad ran off to California.

She feels guilty that she and my father are divorced and that she has to work full-time to support us. In the first of the series, 'Kristy's Great Idea,' Kristy writes about her world and her great idea: 'Mom tries to spend a little time alone with each of us kids every day. In the course of the books, for example, Claudia's character has to cope with the death of her beloved Japanese grandmother Stacey has to deal with being diabetic Mary Anne is afraid to speak up to her overly strict dad. The books, narrated by each character in turn, chronicle the daily ups and downs of preteen life. These are not 'how-to' books per se they're about a group of young girls who form a babysitters club. Martin's phenomenally successful paperback series, 'The Baby-sitters Club,' counts the adventures of this winsome bunch as they tumble through their pre-pubescent lives and baby-sit in the fictional town of Stoneybrook. Also Mallory, Dawn, Jessica - and their creator, Ann M. Make room for Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne and Stacey. If you thought Nancy Drew was big, think again.

Better to Wish by Ann M. Martin