The Baby-Sitters Club: Kristy's Great Idea

The Baby-Sitters Club: Kristy's Great Idea
Raina Telgemeier, Ann M. Martin
GRAPHIX, 2015
Genre: graphic novel, middle grade, friendship
Source: Borrowed from School Library
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Yes, ladies and gentleman who grew up in the 80's-90's, the Baby-Sitters are back and they are in graphic novel form.  One of my students came up to me at the start of the school year to ask if it was okay if she read this book and held up the graphic novel.  At first I didn't quite register what book she was holding up, but asked her why she thought she couldn't read it.  "It's all pictures," she told me and flipped through the pages.  I nodded and told her that they're called graphic novels.  She asked again if she could read it and I asked her if she enjoyed it.  When she finally realized that I would not be telling her that it didn't count and she had to find a "real" book she scampered away as if she was getting away with something. Little did she know that I was thrilled to see her reading this!

At some point during this discussion, I focused in on the title and on the inside was thinking, "I need to read this!"  Now, I'm not a huge graphic novel person.  I don't have anything against them, they're just not what I gravitate towards.  I do, however, gravitate towards Ann M. Martin and The Baby-Sitters Club so as soon as our school library's copy was returned, I snatched it up and sped through it, allowing all my students to see me reading a graphic novel in the process.

It was awesome!  Raina Telgemeier did a fantastic job depicting the story and translating it into graphic form.  It made me feel nostalgic for my old copies of The Baby-Sitters Club, which may be in my parents' basement still, or may not.  I have a modge podge of the novels in my classroom and ever since I read this book and pointed out that they're also in novel form, they've been flying off the shelves as well as the graphic novles.  I may need to invest in more...

So go check it out!