The Babysitter’s Club Series, by Ann M. Martin
I have put off making this my “Flashback” for so long because I do not even know what to say. For me, these books were IT. I read them for years and had a full bookshelf of them by the time I decided to give them up. I had also become part of the fan club so I had all these other little BSC trinkets and even a Dawn doll. No, for real. I was obsessed.
I was a pretty nerdy kid, so I did nerdy stuff a lot, but I have this one memory that sticks out in my head that specifically involves these books. I had just gotten the newest one and my friend Crystal came over to play. I was headed outside to climb a tree in my backyard and read, and told her that she could pick up a BSC book and come read with me. She looked at me like I had grown another head, but she went to my room, got the first one and followed me outside. For about 10 minutes, we sat together and read and then she was like, “Really, this is it? Are we going to do something fun?” and I just looked at her with my mouth hanging open. As if this wasn’t the most fun way for 10 year old girls to spend their summer afternoon! I told her I wanted to keep reading for a little bit so she climbed down the tree and asked me to call her when I wanted to do something fun. I spent the day reading and called her the next day when I knew the fate of Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey. So funny.
I could go on and on and on about this series and how much I loved them, but I will spare you. I’ll just answer the questions that every BSC fan would ask:
Who was your favorite? I was always really partial to Claudia just because she was so effing cool. I liked how she was laid back and scatter brained and wore the craziest clothes. For years I wanted to be like her, but I always knew deep down that I was actually probably more of a Kristy: loud, bossy and take-charge. Ah well, a girl can dream.
What was your favorite Super Special? Super Specials were these big, thick books that shifted points of view between the girls. They usually took place during some big event or in a different location than Stoneybrook. I was really, really into camp when I was growing up so the one that they were camp counselors was always my absolute favorite. Years later, I went on to be a camp counselor for a summer, probably as direct result of my obsession with this book.
To participate in Flashback Friday, head over here to get the info on what’s going on. After posting your flashback, come back here and comment with a link to your blog so everyone can enjoy!
3 Comments
I *loved* the Babysitter’s Club! I was always partial to Claudia, too, but that was never me. I wished *so* bad I could be as cool as she was!
And the book-in-a-tree story totally sounds like something I would have done at that age, too. I always had a book with me growing up. Although, I wasn’t cool enough to have friends who thought reading was stupid. All of my friends were nerds.
I loved the Babysitter’s Club too! My friends and I read these books religiously and formed our own club. We paid dues and everything. It was pretty serious stuff! Thanks for the memories.
I choked on my Vitamin Water reading this because spending an afternoon reading side by side with a friend would have rocked my life as a 10 year old! I loved these books SO much, I didn’t start reading them until I was 11 but for the next few years I totally made up for lost time and read them over and over and over again!