The Baby-Sitters Club facts for kids

Official logo for both the book series and TV shows.

The Baby-Sitters Club (also known as BSC) is a popular series of books. Ann M. Martin wrote these books, and Scholastic published them. The series ran from 1986 to 2000 and sold 176 million copies! While Ann M. Martin wrote the first 36 books, other writers helped with the rest.

The stories are about a group of friends who live in a made-up town called Stoneybrook, Connecticut. These friends start their own babysitting business called "The Baby-Sitters Club." The first four members were Kristy Thomas (the founder and president), Mary Anne Spier (secretary), Claudia Kishi (vice-president), and Stacey McGill (treasurer). More friends join the club later on. Each book is told from one character's point of view. The books often deal with real-life topics like moving to a new place or family changes.

Other members who join the club include Dawn Schafer, Mallory Pike, Jessi Ramsey, Logan Bruno, Shannon Kilbourne, and Abby Stevenson.

How the Books Are Set Up

Most of the books are told by one character. They usually follow a simple plan:

• Chapter 1: You meet the character telling the story and the main problem starts.
• Chapter 2: You learn more about the club and its members.
• Chapter 3-15: The story continues and finishes, often with a smaller side story.

Meet the Main Characters

Kristin "Kristy" Amanda Thomas

• Club job: President
• Looks: Shortest girl in her grade, brown hair, brown eyes. She usually wears jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers.
• Birthday: August 20
• Age: 12 (becomes 13 in later books)

Kristy is known for her amazing ideas. She can also be a bit bossy and sometimes speaks her mind too much. The idea for "The Baby-Sitters Club" came to Kristy when her mom needed a babysitter for her younger brother, David Michael. Kristy felt bad for them and suddenly had her "great idea" to start the club!

Kristy started the club with her best friend Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey. Kristy loves sports and coaches a softball team called Kristy's Krushers. Her family is big! She lives with her mom, stepfather Watson Brewer, two older brothers (Charlie and Sam), younger brother David Michael, stepsister Karen, stepbrother Andrew, and her grandmother. They also have pets. Kristy is often called a "tomboy" because she doesn't care much about fashion. Kristy's best friend is Mary Anne Spier.

Kristy has been played by Avriel Hillman in the HBO series, Sophie Grace in the Netflix series, and Schuyler Fisk in the movie.

Claudia Lynn Kishi

• Club job: Vice President
• Looks: Japanese background, long black hair, dark brown eyes.
• Birthday: July 11
• Age: 12 (becomes 13 in later books)

Claudia is Japanese American. She is super creative with her art and her clothes! She is the vice president because she has her own phone in her room, which is great for taking calls after club meetings. She always hides snacks around her room for meetings.

Claudia loves to draw, paint, sculpt, and make jewelry. She also loves junk food and reading "Nancy Drew" mysteries. She hides these from her parents because they don't approve. Even with all the junk food, she stays healthy. Claudia's mom is a librarian, and her dad is a banker. Her older sister, Janine, is a genius. Claudia feels her grandmother, Mimi, is the only one who truly understands her. Mimi sadly passed away in one of the books.

Claudia has been played by Jeni F. Winslow in the HBO series, Momona Tamada in the Netflix series, and Tricia Joe in the movie.

Mary Anne Spier

• Club job: Secretary
• Looks: White, long brown hair (she cuts it short later), brown eyes.
• Birthday: September 22
• Age: 12 (becomes 13 in later books)

Mary Anne is the club's secretary because she is very organized and has neat handwriting. She enjoys sewing, knitting, watching old movies, and reading. She and Kristy are best friends and used to look similar until Mary Anne changed her hairstyle.

Mary Anne's mom passed away when she was a baby. Her dad, Richard, was very protective until he married Sharon Schafer. Mary Anne is sensitive, shy, and a good listener. She doesn't like being the center of attention. In Logan Likes Mary Anne!, she starts dating Logan Bruno, becoming the first club member with a steady boyfriend. Mary Anne has a stepsister named Dawn and a stepbrother named Jeff. She also has a kitten named Tigger.

Mary Anne has been played by Meghan Lahey in the HBO series, Malia Baker in the Netflix series, and Rachael Leigh Cook in the movie. The author, Ann M. Martin, based Mary Anne on herself!

Anastasia "Stacey" Elizabeth McGill

• Club job: Treasurer
• Looks: White, blonde hair (often permed), blue eyes.
• Birthday: April 3
• Age: 12 (becomes 13 in later books)

Stacey is from New York City. She moved to Stoneybrook in seventh grade when her dad's job moved them. She quickly became friends with Claudia because they both love fashion and boys. They are known as the best-dressed students at Stoneybrook Middle School.

Stacey has diabetes and has been in the hospital because of it. She tried to hide this at first because kids in New York used to tease her. But she eventually told her new friends. She is the club's treasurer because she is excellent at math. Stacey moved back to New York for a while but returned after her parents divorced. She briefly left the club when she started dating Robert Brewster, but she realized her true friends were in the club and came back.

Stacey has been played by Jessica Prunell in the HBO series, Shay Rudolph in the Netflix series, and Bre Blair in the movie.

Dawn Read Schafer

• Club job: Alternate Officer (and sometimes Treasurer)
• Looks: White, long blonde hair, blue eyes.
• Birthday: February 5
• Age: 13-14

Dawn grew up in California. After her parents divorced, she moved with her younger brother Jeff and her mom to Stoneybrook, Connecticut. Jeff had a hard time adjusting and moved back to California to live with their dad. Dawn is a vegetarian, loves healthy food, enjoys ghost stories, and cares about the environment.

She joined Stoneybrook Middle School in the middle of seventh grade. She met Mary Anne, and they became instant friends. Later, Dawn's mom and Mary Anne's dad got married, making them stepsisters! Kristy was a little jealous at first but then invited Dawn to join the club. Dawn moved back to California for a while but returned to Stoneybrook. Eventually, she moved back to California for good.

Dawn has been played by Melissa Chasse in the HBO series, Xochitl Gomez in the Netflix series, and Larisa Oleynik in the movie.

Mallory Pike

• Club job: Junior Officer
• Looks: White, curly reddish-brown hair, blue eyes. She wears clear braces and glasses.
• Birthday: May 2
• Age: 10 (becomes 11 in later books)

Mallory is new to the Baby-Sitters Club. She is the oldest of eight children! In Hello, Mallory, the club members tested her to see if she was ready to join. When she failed, she and Jessi Ramsey started their own club called "Kids Incorporated." The Baby-Sitters Club girls realized they were unfair, and Mallory and Jessi joined the main club.

Mallory sometimes feels her parents treat her like a baby. She loves drawing, writing, and reading. Her dream is to become a children's book author and illustrator. Her family has a pet hamster named Frodo. Mallory later transferred to a boarding school.

Mallory has been played by Meghan Andrews in the HBO series, Vivian Watson in the Netflix series, and Stacey Linn Ramsower in the movie.

Jessica "Jessi" Davis Ramsey

• Club job: Junior Officer
• Looks: African American, black curly hair, brown eyes, long legs.
• Birthday: June 30
• Age: 11

Jessi moved to Stoneybrook from Oakley, New Jersey at the start of sixth grade. Her family moved into Stacey's old house. She has a younger sister, Becca, and a baby brother, Squirt. When Jessi's family first moved, some people were not kind to them because they were Black, but things got better.

In Hello, Mallory, Jessi met Mallory, and they quickly became friends. They formed their own babysitting club, "Kids Incorporated," before joining The Baby-Sitters Club. Jessi learned American Sign Language to babysit for a deaf child. Jessi is a very talented ballerina and has performed in many ballets. Her best friend is Mallory Pike.

Jessi has been played by Nicole Leach in the HBO series and Zelda Harris in the movie.

Abigail "Abby" Stevenson

• Club job: Alternate Officer
• Looks: White, long curly brown hair, brown eyes.
• Birthday: October 15
• Age: 13

Abby first appeared in Kristy and the Dirty Diapers. She moved to Stoneybrook from Long Island with her mom and twin sister, Anna, after her father passed away when she was nine. Abby still misses him and doesn't like to talk about it.

Abby is Jewish. She has asthma and carries an inhaler. She is also allergic to many foods and things like dust and pollen. Abby is described as wild, funny, and athletic. She and Kristy are both competitive and sometimes clash. Her twin sister, Anna, is quieter and a serious violinist. The Baby-Sitters Club invited both sisters to join, but Anna declined because of her music. Abby took Dawn's place as the alternate officer.

Logan Bruno

• Club job: Associate Member
• Looks: Black hair, blue eyes.
• Birthday: January 10
• Age: 13 (becomes 14)

Logan moved from Louisville, Kentucky, before eighth grade. He first appeared in Logan Likes Mary Anne!. He has a southern accent, plays many sports, and works at a cafe. He is an associate member of the club, meaning he doesn't have to come to meetings but takes jobs when no regular member is free. He felt a bit shy around girls at first.

Logan lives with his parents, younger sister Kerry, and younger brother Hunter. He is Mary Anne's boyfriend, though they broke up and got back together a few times. In the Friends Forever series, they broke up for good but remained good friends.

Logan has been played by Eric Lawton in the HBO series, Rian McCririck in the Netflix series, and Austin O'Brien in the movie.

Shannon Louisa Kilbourne

• Club job: Associate Member (sometimes Alternate Officer)
• Looks: White, blonde hair, blue eyes.
• Birthday: March 17
• Age: 13

Shannon is an overachiever who is involved in many school activities. She is the only member who doesn't go to Stoneybrook Middle School; she attends Stoneybrook Day School, a private school. She first appeared in Kristy and the Snobs. She has two younger sisters, Tiffany and Maria.

Shannon was Kristy's first friend in her new neighborhood, even though they didn't get along at first. She is an associate member because she is too busy for regular meetings. When Dawn temporarily left the club, Shannon filled in as alternate officer. When Dawn returned, Shannon went back to being an associate member. After Kristy's dog, Louie, passed away, Shannon gave Kristy one of her dog's puppies, which Kristy's brother named Shannon.

Stoneybrook Town

Stoneybrook is a made-up town in Connecticut. It's where many characters from The Baby-Sitters Club and Baby-Sitters Little Sister live. A real town called Stony Brook, New York, is across the water from Connecticut.

The town is close to Stamford, Connecticut. Some adults in Stoneybrook work in Stamford, and Jessi Ramsey takes her ballet classes there.

Stoneybrook has public schools like Stoneybrook Elementary, Middle, and High School. There are also private schools like Stoneybrook Academy and Stoneybrook Day School.

Karen Brewer's dad and Kristy Thomas's stepfather, Watson Brewer, own a large house in a fancy part of Stoneybrook. Most of The Baby-Sitters Club members live in a regular middle-class neighborhood. Claudia Kishi lives on Bradford Court, which is close to many of their houses and Stoneybrook Middle School.

The Books in the Series

Special Kinds of Books

• Super Specials: These were longer books with many club members telling parts of the story. They focused on bigger events, like a snowstorm trapping everyone in different places.
• Readers' Requests: These books focused on the personal lives of associate members Logan and Shannon, away from the club.
• Mysteries: These books were like the regular ones but focused on solving a mystery.
• Super Mysteries: These were longer mystery books with multiple characters telling the story, similar to the Super Specials.
• Portrait Collections: These books were like autobiographies (life stories) written by the club members.
• The Baby-Sitters Club: Friends Forever: These books continued the original series, focusing on the first four members. They ended with the girls graduating from middle school.

Newer Editions and Prequel

In 2010, Scholastic re-released the first two books to introduce the series to new readers. Ann M. Martin also wrote a prequel called The Summer Before. It showed what Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey were doing the summer before the club started.

Other Book Series

Baby-Sitters Little Sister

The Baby-Sitters Little Sister books were for younger readers. They were about Karen Brewer, Kristy Thomas's seven-year-old stepsister. Over 120 books in this series were published from 1988 to 2000.

The Kids in Ms. Colman's Class

This series was a spin-off from Baby-Sitters Little Sister. It was about Karen Brewer's second-grade classmates and their adventures in Ms. Colman's classroom. Twelve books were published from 1995 to 1998.

Graphic Novels

In 2006, Graphix (part of Scholastic) released a graphic novel version of the first book, Kristy's Great Idea. These graphic novels are like comic books and are illustrated by talented artists like Raina Telgemeier and Gale Galligan. More graphic novels have been released since then, continuing the series.

There are also graphic novels for the Baby-Sitters Little Sister series, starting with Karen's Witch in 2019.

TV Shows

In 1990, The Baby-Sitters Club became a 13-episode TV series that aired on HBO and Nickelodeon.

In 2019, Netflix announced a new TV series, which was released in July 2020.

Movie

A movie based on The Baby-Sitters Club books came out in 1995. It starred actors like Schuyler Fisk, Rachael Leigh Cook, and Larisa Oleynik.

Soundtrack

Quick facts for kids The Baby-Sitters Club: Songs for My Best Friends
Soundtrack album by various artists
Released	October 13, 1992 (1992-10-13)
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	Jeff Barry, Richard Goldsmith

Professional ratings
Source	Rating
AllMusic

The Baby-Sitters Club: Songs for My Best Friends was a music album released on October 13, 1992. It had nine songs written for the series and the theme song from the 1990 TV series.

Song List

All songs written and composed by Jeff Barry, Kelly Sachs, and Leslie Spiro (Tracks 1-9). Track 10 is written by Glen Roven. 

Images for kids

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  Soundtrack album cover

See also

In Spanish: El club de las canguro para niños