Title: The Babysitters Club: Kristy’s Great Idea
Author: Raina Telgemeier
Genre: Fiction, Realistic Fiction
# of pages: 192
Reading Level: IG290L
Summary: In the first book of The Baby-Sitters Club, Kristy Thomas has the grand idea to start a babysitters club where local families could call one number to get ahold of one of many babysitters available. The club is comprised of Kristy and her best friends Mary Anne Spier and Claudia Kishi as well as the new girl, Stacey McGill. This novel explores the ins and outs of each girl’s life from divorced parents, the death of a parent, and recent diagnoses. Read along as Kristy and her friends navigate life as it comes and remind readers that, “You are never too young to make a difference” (Martin et al., 2015).
Genre: This novel fits into the graphic novel, fiction, and what I would argue is contemporary realistic fiction. While based on fictional characters, each character is going through a heavy issue that is prominent in many young students’ lives. Kristy’s father walked out when she was young and she is now struggling to accept her mother’s new boyfriend. Mary Anne’s mother died at a young age leaving her with an overprotective father. Claudia is having a hard time in school and the new girl Stacey has just been diagnosed with diabetes. So, although it is a feel-good story, it tackles prominent issues.
Reading the Novel: This novel would be an easy class read and could contribute to a free read portion of the day. The Baby-Sitters Club series is well-loved by middle schoolers and would do well in a classroom library as well.
Teaching the Novel: This novel explores themes such as bullying, friendship, and change. It would be a valuable tool in teaching students to respect and care for their friendships and hopefully make some students feel less alone in their struggles. It also encourages students to write their own future and venture out in their own endeavors. A fun assignment for this book would be to have students create clubs in the classroom and determine what service they as a group will be providing. This could branch out into learning how much it costs to run a business, what a fluctuating economy can look like, and fosters creativity.
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