I cannot possibly talk about books that have impacted me or bring about strong memories without talking about The Babysitter's Club series by Ann M. Martin. There are over a hundred books in the regular series, along with The Babysitter's Club Mysteries, Little Sister, Super Specials, and Special Character Additions. It all started with Kristy's Great Idea. Why not give parents one place where they can find several babysitters all at once?! And voila! That BSC was born. The original characters were Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia and Stacey. Over time, other characters came and went, including Dawn, Abby, Mallory, Jessi, and Mary Anne's boyfriend, Logan.
Claudia was always my favorite character, probably because she ate junk food all the time and she loved to read. Although, I must say I find it interesting that she read Nancy Drew nonstop, and I didn't pick up a Nancy Drew book until long after my obsession with all things Babysitter's Club ended. I feel like I should have been just in love with Nancy Drew as Claudia. But, I digress.
When I was 9 and 10, we lived just around the corner from the public library, and my mom decided that, because I didn't have to cross any streets, (and because I begged and begged and begged) she would allow me to walk to the library on my own, as long as I promised not to go anywhere else, and to come straight home after getting my books. This is probably one of the few times I didn't try to push my limits, and just accepted the rules my mom gave me. Going to the library was important enough to me that I didn't even try to disobey or take advantage of the privilege. And, being the awesome mom that she is, and understanding just how much I loved needed to read, she also told me that I was allowed to check out as many books as I could carry home, as long as I consistently returned them without losing any, or aquiring late fees. And let me tell you, I definitely took advantage of that!
One of my first experiences on a computer was using my libraries online catalog to find more BSC books to place on hold. When I was 9, I memorized my 17 digit library card number because I entered the information into the computer system so many times. And once, when I forgot my card, I asked the librarian is I could just tell her my card number. I don't think she believed me, until I spouted it off. And she was quite impressed. All the librarians also recognized me by name, face, and choice of books. They'd see me approach the desk, and pull down my stack of 7-12 BSC books before I even got to the front. Pretty impressive for a 9 year old, I'd say.
Given that I was completely obsessed with the babysitter's club. I wanted to start my own club, and even made plans with my best friend to start one when we turned 12, because that's how old my mom said I had to be before I could start babysitting other people's kids. I also used to purchase anything Babysitters Club related in those Scholastic book orders that came through the school. My mom told me once that there would come a day when I wasn't going to want to read these books anymore, and asked if I'd like to save my money. I'm pretty sure I thought she was blasphemous. I almost cried the day I realized she was right. There came a few times over the years when I almost sold the books, or gave them away, but for one reason or another, I always ended up holding onto them, and now I'm incredibly grateful that I did. I'd also like to fill in some of the gaps on my shelf, especially of the earlier books.
I love that the books I've held onto have stories for me, and you can obviously tell which ones were my favorites. For years, even after I no longer loved the books in the same way, they were my go to books (along with Where the Red Fern Grows) anytime I didn't know what to read next. All of them are a little roughed up, but there are some that have very definite wear and tear to them because I read them to pieces. Each of those stories has such powerful memory triggers for me. Like in Stacey's Emergency. Stacey is diabetic, and in one book she ignores the rules, and ends up getting really sick. I think she ends up in the hospital over it. My favorite aunt growing up (we share the same birthday, so she was my favorite.:) ) is also diabetic and I spent weeks after reading that book terrified that something would go wrong.
All of these characters were so alive for me. I sincerely loved them, and always wanted for things to work out for these girls. I can't wait to hear what you all remember about this great group of girls (with one guy). Please, comment away!!
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