INQUISITR.COM / Health & Lifestyle

The Universal And Generation-Defying Appeal Of ‘The Baby-Sitters Club’

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 01:29 PST, Nov 1, 2016

The Baby-Sitters Club is just one of many fond memories for youngsters who’ve grown up reading Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Sweet Valley Twins, The Three Investigators, and many more. Created by Scholastic and written by Ann M. Martin, the Baby-Sitters Club series featured stories about four teenage girls — Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia — and Stacey, who decide to offer babysitting services by starting a babysitting club.

The club later expanded to include other characters like Dawn Schafer, Mallory Pike, Jessi Ramsey, Abby Stevenson, and Logan Bruno. Set in the fictional Connecticut town of Stoneybrook, the Baby-Sitters Club series featured life-lesson stories based on experiences of each of its teen and pre-teen protagonists.

What made the books so enjoyable was the uniqueness of their central characters, each one having a unique personality that appealed to readers. While most of Ann M. Martin’s stories focused on seemingly-mundane challenges like organizing a fundraiser or a coaching a camp for kids, the books also included stories that focused on sensitive topics like death, divorce, and racism. Fans were primarily attracted to the central characters and their unique experiences rather than focusing on themes like romance, mystery, or adventure, which are typically popular with teens and pre-teens, but of course, many stories also included elements of adventure.

However, the adventures were more associated with enjoying teen life rather than the thrill and suspense of solving a crime mystery. Baby-Sisters Club members were depicted as fun-loving girls who enjoyed surfing, vacationing, playing the lottery, and of course, looking after younger children. Readers naturally became attached to the characters of The Baby-Sitters Club because they could identify with the theme of the stories.

Moreover, Ann M. Martin was successful in enticing fans by showing the four teenage protagonists leading a life full of freedom and variety. The characters attended games, enjoyed trips away, and went to dances without any supervision. According to the Week, it was natural for pre-teen readers to fall in love with the lovable characters who were confidently living an adult life that readers themselves craved for.

Fans reportedly carried their Baby-Sitters Club books with them wherever they went. Enthusiasts could be found reading on school buses, in the school cafeteria, and even under school desks. Curious fans were thrilled to read about exciting adventures that were in store for them when they entered their teen years.

It could be said that stories in the Baby-Sitters Club book series are primarily female-oriented, but that’s certainly not the case because the book franchise also has a dedicated fan following among boys. According to Slate, there have been instances where pre-teen and teenage boys managed to strike up a friendly conversation with older girls merely because they too were obsessed with Baby-Sitter Club books.

However, many boys who were die-hard fans of The Baby-Sitters Club discontinued reading the books because their preferences changed as they grew older. In fact, most of them may still be wondering about the innocent passion they had for The Baby-Sitters Club while growing up. And, like many of her fans, Ann M. Martin has moved on to focus on other books and novels.

According to the Pittsburg Post-Gazette, the author is currently writing children’s stories for a new book series, a spinoff from Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, a series written in 1940 by Betty MacDonald.

News Observer reports that Ann M. Martin had also previously written a book titled Rain Reign, the story of homophone-loving Rose Howard who would go to any lengths to find her lost pet dog.

[Featured Image by Yan Lev/Shutterstock]

Share this article: The Universal And Generation-Defying Appeal Of ‘The Baby-Sitters Club’
More from Inquisitr