Since 1986, Mary Ann Martin’s beloved series The Baby-sitters Club has resonated with young readers around the world. Kids love following the adventures of Kristy, Mary Ann, Claudia, and Stacey, and their friends as they care for younger children, run their own business, and navigate the challenges and joys of friendship.
With over 80 novels in the original series, plus graphic novel versions and Little Sister spin-off books, there are plenty of Baby-sitters titles to read. But the best thing about beloved books is that they open doors to other stories with similar lessons and themes.
If your tween or teen loves The Baby-sitters Club, they’ll also love these books.
The Taylors
Take four friends named Taylor with a shared passion for pop star Taylor Swift. Add in a hefty dose of middle school drama, angst, and adventure. Sprinkle with fun, friendship, and important life lessons. You have Jen Calonita’s engaging series, The Taylors.
Start with book one, in which our heroines try to procure tickets to their favorite singer’s Eras tour, and follow the girls as they navigate growing up, romantic relationships, and overseas adventures.
Sunny
The transition from elementary to middle school is one of the most tumultuous upheavals in many kids’ lives. Sunny Lewin must navigate those big changes, plus some other pretty significant disruptions.
It’s hard enough to spend a summer in a strange place (Florida, but not the Disney World part, and with her grandfather). Add in family secrets, golfball-eating alligators, runaway cats, and mysteriously disappearing neighbors, and it’s a lot to handle. And that’s just the first book in the series.
Raina Telgemeier
There’s a direct pipeline from The Baby-sitter’s Club to Raina Telgemeier’s other works. (She illustrated the first four Graphix editions of BSC!) Kids who make the leap from illustrated-by to Raina T. to written-and-illustrated-by her will be glad they did.
Telgemeier’s Eisner Award-winning works feature autobiographical works like Smile, the story of how Raina severely injured her two front teeth in the sixth grade, and Guts, in which our heroine’s tummy troubles coincide with worries about food, school, family, and changing friendships. For authentic, moving stories about family, anxiety, and growing up, you can’t beat Raina Telgemeier.
Best Wishes
What if you were having the worst day ever — but then the mail arrived, and with it, a mysterious package containing a bracelet that would grant your biggest wish? That’s the beginning of Becca Singer’s story in the first volume of the Best Wishes series. What happens next will delight fans of old-school fairytales and contemporary middle-grade fantasy — and remind readers that sometimes, it’s better if all your wishes don’t come true.
Whatever After
Want more modern takes on classic fairytales? Dig into the Whatever After series and get slightly skewed, seriously fun updates on Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and more.
Ready to add to your kids’ to-be-read pile? Search The Scholastic Store by grade & age, format & subject, or series & character.
