If you are like me and were a tween in that wierd time period of the late eighties and early nineties then chances are you've read the Baby-Sitters Club. Don't be ashamed, I have too. I will even admit to being a huge fan back in the day. The BSC is one of the first major book series that I fangirled over HARD. I went on a quest to buy all the books, I had the paraphanalia, the guide book, the stationary, I even had a friend that I made in YMCA camp where our bond was based soley on the fact that the two of us loved the series and we both agreed that Claudia was the coolest. Friendship was much simplier back then.
So yeah, that embarressing secret aside, I have a fondness for the books. Nowadays I realize that the series was actually pretty laughable and very cheesy in terms of plot and writing and there are many many MANY flaws to it. But that doesn't stop me from being excited over the news that Scholastic is revamping the books. Am I thrilled that it's going to be modernized? No, not really. I also loathe the new covers they're giving it. But I am sort of excited that maybe there'll be a new craze and we will get new stuff for it (I want more stationary, Scholastic, hint hint) and that maybe now tween girls will start reading the books actually AIMED at them. I'm sorry I think the major reason that all of sudden we are getting ten year old girls into stuff like Twilight (yeah, scary, I know) is that they don't have books for that age bracket anymore, or at least books aimed for GIRLS at that age bracket. The boys have plenty of stuff like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, Last Apprentice and so much more. Girls however...kind of get nothing except for like those novelizations of Disney Channel shows...whoopee. Or they just deal with the books aimed at the boys (which isn't bad per say because some of those are good, but still...). So they do what I did and go on to the YA even though maybe it's not appropriate for them yet. So I'm hoping that the BSC will take off again and that there will be a relaunch of books like it for girls in the 9-12 market to read and have something more relateable.
What really has me curious though is that Ann M. Martin has written a prequel to the series to celebrate the relaunch. It's about the summer before the girls found the BSC. Is it sad that I really really want to read this? I'm sure it won't reveal anything new or startling about the series or characterizations, but still...it's a new BSC book and there hasn't been a new one in print in like ten years...Amazon has it up for order here. To wait for paperback or not to wait for paperback...my inner tween is saying buy it now. What about you guys? Excited about this? Loathe the idea? Hoping for a BSC craze like I am? What say you? Or do you even care?
I adored this series and as the mom of two girls I’m thrilled to see it making a comeback.
ReplyDeleteI am so excited about a BSB comeback! Those books were a huge part of my childhood. They were great fun, but also dealt with important issues to teens and tweens. Listen to your inner tween and embrace your BSB girl within!
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