Some of our favorite classic Baby-Sitter’s Club stories that should definitely be included in the recently announced Netflix series
With Netflix developing a series based on Ann M. Martin’s classic books, the girls in our fourth-grade class who sat under a tree and read at recess are finally getting their day. While it’s entirely possible that the new show may create original adventures for our favorite 13-year-old small business owners, we hope that they at least consider drawing on the wealth of material that already exists in the Baby-Sitters Club canon.
The Baby-Sitters Club: Mary Anne and the Great Romance book cover. Photo: Scholastic
10. Mary Anne and the Great Romance
I don’t care what anyone says, it’s super cute that Mary Anne and Dawn’s parents ended up being high school sweethearts who end up reconnecting through their daughters 20 years later (spoilers?)
The Baby-Sitters Club: Poor Mallory book cover. Photo: Scholastic
9. Poor Mallory!
Out of all the after-school special type storylines that Martin put our girls through, the one where Mallory’s dad loses his job and all of the Pike kids pool their resources to try to save their family always felt realer than most.
The Baby-Sitters Club: California Girls book cover. Photo: Scholastic
8. California Girls!
Who doesn’t love a super special edition, especially one where a bunch of the girls end up on a trip to Los Angeles and get embroiled in the whole Hollywood scene?
The Baby-Sitters Club: Kristy and the Haunted Mansion book cover. Photo: Scholastic
7. Kristy and the Haunted Mansion
It wouldn’t be fair not to include at least one of the mystery specials, and what better than the one where Kristy’s Krushers end up stranded at a manor house that is probably/definitely extremely haunted.
The Baby-Sitters Club: Summer Vacation book cover. Photo: Scholastic
6. Baby-Sitters Summer Vacation
Love to watch the gang out of their natural element in the middle of the woods whilst enjoying a summer camp experience so innocent and pure that I doubt very much Ann M. Martin ever went to summer camp.
The Baby-Sitters Club: Dawn and the Big Sleepover book cover. Photo: Scholastic
5. Dawn and the Big Sleepover
When a town in New Mexico is devastated by a fire, Dawn and the BSC organize a food and clothing drive to help. It’s never too early to teach kids to be sanctimoniously altruistic.
The Baby-Sitters Club: Don’t Give Up Mallory book cover. Photo: Scholastic
4. Don’t Give Up, Mallory
This is the one where Mallory crushes the patriarchy after encountering a particularly misogynistic teacher, so obviously it needs to be included.
The Baby-Sitters Club: The Ghost at Dawn’s House book cover. Photo: Scholastic
3. The Ghost at Dawn’s House
Dawn discovers a secret passage that leads into her new bedroom, and she becomes convinced that it’s haunted by a Civil War-era ghost. Nine-year-old me literally could not have been more jealous.
The Baby-Sitters Club: Mary-Anne Saves the Day book cover. Photo: Scholastic
2. Mary Anne Saves the Day
Mary Anne’s father still treats her like a little girl until she calmly and confidently handles a major crisis when one of her baby-sitting charges gets seriously ill. One of the few Baby-Sitters Club books that actually feels like it has stakes.
The Baby-Sitters Club: Starring The Baby-Sitters Club book cover. Photo: Scholastic
1. Starring the Baby-Sitters Club!
The idea of every single one of the baby-sitters being involved in the school musical is bananas. Also, Jessi is a self-obsessed monster in this book and I am 100 percent here for it.