Before there was the Baby-Sitters Club, there were four girls named Kristy Thomas, Mary Anne Spier, Claudia Kishi, and Stacey McGill. As they start the summer before seventh grade (also before they start the BSC), each of them is on the cusp of a big change. Kristy is still hung up on hoping that her father will return to her family. Mary Anne has to prove to her father that she's no longer a little girl who needs hundreds of rules. Claudia is navigating her first major crush on a boy. And Stacey is leaving her entire New York City life behind......in order to find new friends in Stoneybrook, Connecticut.
When asked why she decided to write a preequel now, Ann M. Martin said, "It was fun to explore their lives in the prequel, "The Summer Before," and to figure out what led the girls to form The Baby-sitters Club, something that would eventually change their lives. It was like a reunion with friends--friends who haven’t changed a bit." She also admitted that Kristy's Great Idea, the first of the series was her favorite of all the BSC.
Of course, many of us wish she would write about the girls now. Martin said, "I understand the fascination of the older BSC fans who would like to know what happened with the characters when they got older. It’s thrilling to realize that after all these years the fans remain passionate about the books and the characters in The Baby-sitters Club. I can see Kristy running a business--I can also see her being in politics. I think Mary Anne became a teacher. I imagine Stacey went into fashion--not as a designer, but maybe on the business side. And Claudia became an artist. I think fans can fill in for the rest of the characters!"
Perhaps the presequel will open new doors for young fans to re-visit. This book will make many of us in our 20's and 30's smile too. Its in bookstores now or on the new books shelf in your library in the children's area.
I loved that series.
ReplyDeletevery fun!
ReplyDeleteI really liked this. So cool. I love her stuff.
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