The Baby Sitters' Club Series

[pennylayne]

I wish I hadn't gotten rid of all my old BSC and SVH books. I want to revist the cheese.

My favorites were the Super Specials where they would go on trips, the Califorina one, the New York on, wasn't there one too where they all went to the Jersey Shore. And of course every trip each girl had some exciting thing happen to her, and usually met a guy.

And then the New York one that wasn't a special, where Stacey went back to visit Lane (?) and tried telling them about the Babysitters and they thought it was lame I think, and I remember that Lane was buying stuff off the shopping channel of tv, and that supposedly made her sophisticated. And they took a limo to a Broadway show.

[electricmayhem]

Yep...totally addicted to these books in elementary school. It did always bug me how they never grew up, though. That time warp that forever trapped them in eighth grade was hella creepy.

[whistletops]

I remember the first time that happened, Electric Mayhem. It's like they had a Super Special where they went on the Cruise (or maybe it was to California?) and when they came back, they were still in the 8th grade.

Weird. If they had kept growing up, though, it could've gotten soo adult-soap-operish, and every one of the original readers would've stopped reading due to the lack of good writing. And no new, younger readers gained.

My favorite character was probably Dawn, followed by Stacy and Claudia. I identified with Mary Ann the most, though.

What about you guys?

[Deleted]

Wait-Stacey hooked up with Sam? Get out! I thought she had a boyfriend named Robert?

What gets me now though is how YOUNG they were. I don't know anyone who would hire a 12 year old to baby sit three kids late at night, or someone under a year old. And then Mallory and Jesse were 11 freaking years old! ELEVEN!

[tinyshoes]

And who can forget Kristy and the Snobs?

[Deleted]

I started reading them when I was ten (which is when they were just beginning to be written), then kind of grew up with them....at least, until they got stuck in that time warp. But even when I was twelve or thirteen I felt like they were so much older than me. Let's face it: the average preteen is not going to speak up to "clients" or have "heart to heart" discussions about their kids' problems.
So I guess I identified most with Mary Anne--I was also a very shy kid.
My favorite book is probably #1: loved it when they were trying to plan their party and everybody keeps backing out because of their "horrible" parents: Mary Ann's dad is making her leave the club cause he's worried she'll start wasting money she earns, Claudia is in trouble because of bad grades (hey I guess I related to that too) and Stacey has a mysterious trip....I thought it was funny.

[whistletops]

Remember when Claudia was friends with Ashley Wyeth and then she broke her leg and decided she shouldn't risk being in the Babysitter's Club b/c she might've broken something much worse (like...her arm!) and not be able to continue in her dream of becoming an artist? But of course the other babysitters convince her that babysitting and being friends with them was just too important to sacrifice to her dreams.

As if she can't have one without the other.

Edited to clarify: as if she MUST be in the Babysitter's Club to remain friends with the other babysitters.

[Deleted]

Well, they became really exclusive once they hit eighth grade; only eating lunch with club members and all. (In seventh grade at least they could associate with others-Kristy, Mary Anne and Dawn ate with the Shillaber twins, while Claudia and Stacey had their group of other cool, trendy, with-it friends.) Even Logan would eat at this table otherwise exclusively female.

[Deleted]

My favorite was Claudia because of her "funky fashion sense", though I was probably more like MaryAnne or Jessie (I was really into ballet). Claudia was like the cool kid I think I wanted to be.

I really wish the BSC could be rehashed as a series about college-aged kids.

Claudia-pothead artist rooming with fellow pothead Dawn-wacky hikjinks ensue.
Kristy-varsity softball star coming to terms with her sexuality
Stacy-still scarred from her parents' divorce becomes a struggling Hooters waitress in NY, while trying to find love
Jessi-after her ballerina dreams are crushed, she shakes her ass to become the best video-ho of them all and finds love with an aspiring gangsta-rap star.
Mary-Anne-gets discovered as a model and dumps deadweight Logan, Begins partying with the Hiltons and possibly Jessi.
Mallory-a nervous breakdown after getting a D on an English paper causes her to go to therapy and finally get some meds. Gets bitch-slapped by Jessi. Or Dawn. Or Kristy. (I never really could stand Mallory)

[marywebgirl]

Stacey's parents got divorced? Wow! I stopped reading right around the time Jessi showed up just because that's when I grew out of it, but look what I missed!