Graphix executive editor Cassandra Pelham Fulton and Scholastic editorial director David Levithan have acquired six new graphic novel adaptations of Ann M. Martin’s bestselling middle grade prose series, The Baby-Sitters Club.
The deal is for world rights and the new acquisitions will bring the popular graphic novel series to a total of 14 books. The Baby-Sitters Club graphic novel series will begin twice-per-year publication in 2021.
Cartoonists Gabriela Epstein (photographed below by Victoria Grace Elliott) and Chan Chau (above) will alternate as adapters of four of the books. Illustrator/adaptors for the final two books will be announced at a later date.
Steven Salpeter at Curtis Brown represented Epstein and Molly O'Neill at Root Literary represented Chau in this deal for world rights.
Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey are best friends and founding members of The Baby-sitters Club. Whatever comes up -- cranky toddlers, huge dogs, scary neighbors, prank calls -- you can count on them to save the day. Baby-sitting isn't always easy, and neither is dealing with strict parents, new families, fashion emergencies, and mysterious secrets. But no matter what, the BSC have what they need most: friendship.
Comment: Books 1-8! These books have been gently read and remain in great condition. Pages are clean and crisp with no markings and the bindings are tight. From a PRIVATE COLLECTION; NO LIBRARY COPIES!
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The Baby-Sitters Club was a phenomenon from 1986 to 2000. Created by Ann M. Martin, more than 200 novels in the series were written, which sold a whopping 176 million copies. For those unfamiliar with the series, it revolved around a group of pre-teen girls who formed their own babysitting agency. The stories revolved around the agency while also tackling deeper topics such as divorce, death of a parent, friendship dynamics, and fitting in.
Scholastic’s Graphix imprint brought the classic franchise back as graphic novels beginning in the mid-2000s. These adapt the Baby-Sitters Club stories and update them for a modern audience using acclaimed cartoonists like Raina Telgemeier and Gale Galagan.
The graphic novels are perfect for those looking for a dose of nostalgia, want to introduce the series to a young reader, or are devastated that Netflix cancelled the live-action series after two seasons.
This guide is for you if you fall into one of the above categories. Read on to discover which novels have been adapted, how they compare to the original stories, and heaps more.
How do they compare to the original novels?
The graphic novels are faithful updates to the original stories. They accurately retell the story, keeping the same themes and character dynamics. Anything that hasn’t aged well for modern readers has been removed or revised.
If Goodreads is any indication, fans of the novels back in the 80s and 90s love the graphic novels just as much. Each graphic novel has an overall rating of more than 4 stars. While many reviews are of people having a nostalgic moment through the graphic novels, many have also used them to introduce Baby-Sitters Club to their kids.
What age group are these graphic novels made for?
According to the Scholastic Graphix website, the Baby-Sitters Club graphic novels are suitable for ages 8-12.
Common Sense Media recommends the graphic novels for ages 8+, stating the following:
Covering heavy topics such as divorce and the death of a parent along with more everyday moments when a girl feels like she doesn’t fit in, this series captures the spirit of being a tween with heart and humor, with strong friendships at the center of it all.
Will every Baby-Sitters Club novel be adapted?
Scholastic has been adapting the Baby-Sitters Club in order of the novel’s original release. However, the publisher has chosen not to turn all of them into graphic novels.
Novels that focus on a spooky mystery, such as Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls and The Ghost at Dawn’s House have been skipped. I assume these haven’t been adapted as they deviate from the usual tone and story structure that the franchise is known for. It would make sense that Scholastic would want tonal consistency with the graphic novel adaptations.
Other novels may not be adapted as they haven’t aged well. An example of this is Little Miss Stoneybrook … and Dawn, which sees the club involved in a children’s beauty contest.
It’s also worth considering that there are 131 Baby-Sitters Club novels in the original series – plus dozens of spin-offs and 122 Baby-Sitters Little Sister novels. That’s a lot of material to adapt! Considering it takes a long time to draw a graphic novel, it’s possible Scholastic may not get around to adapting them all.
The Baby-Sitters Club graphic novels
Below are all the Baby-Sitters Club graphic novels that have been released so far. They have been ordered based on the release date but can be read in any order due to their self-contained nature. However, read Kristy’s Great Idea first to discover how the Baby-Sitters Club was formed.
Kristy’s Great Idea
Written and art by Raina Telgemeier.
The Truth About Stacey
Written and art by Raina Telgemeier.
Mary Anne Saves The Day
Written and art by Raina Telgemeier.
Claudia and Mean Jeanie
Written and art by Raina Telgemeier.
Note: The first four graphic novels were originally released in black and white between 2006 and 2008. Scholastic later released coloured versions in 2015 and 2016 after Raina Telgemeier’s other work became immensely popular.
Dawn and the Impossible Three
Written and art by Gale Galligan.
Kristy’s Big Day
Written and art by Gale Galligan.
Boy-Crazy Stacey
Written and art by Gale Galligan.
Logan Likes Mary Anne!
Written and art by Gale Galligan.
Claudia and the New Girl
Written and art by Gabriela Epstein.
Kristy and the Snobs
Written and art by Chan Chau.
Good-bye Stacey, Good-bye
Written and art by Gabriela Epstein.
Jessi’s Secret Language
Written and art by Chan Chau.
Baby-Sitters Little Sister graphic novels
This is a spin-off series that stars Karen, Kristy’s younger sister, and her friends. These are also based on novels of the same name.
Karen’s Witch
Written and art by Katy Farina.
Karen’s Roller Skates
Written and art by Katy Farina.
Karen’s Worst Day
Written and art by Katy Farina.
Karen’s Kittycat Club
Written and art by Katy Farina.
Karen’s School Picture
Written and art by Katy Farina.
Where to find the Baby-Sitters Club graphic novels
You can buy Baby-Sitters Club graphic novels at all good comic book shops, bookshops, online stores, Amazon/Kindle, and eBay.
Additionally, you can find the graphic novels in libraries. WorldCat can be used to find the closest library to you.
Discover more about the different options for finding comics with this handy guide.
Have your say!
Have you found this guide helpful? What other graphic novel series would you like to get a guide? Share your thoughts in the comments below or via Facebook or Twitter.