Kristy's Great Idea [The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novel]

3.5 Stars. This did a solid job establishing each girl in the club with their distinct personalities and personal dramas while keeping the focus mainly on Kristy and her adjustment to the guy in her mom’s life.

The emotions maybe could have had a bit more nuance and situations resolved a little more easily than they would in life, but it’s a quick enjoyable read, the illustrations have a nice bright bold feel, and it’s good to see fiction portray potential step-family in a positive light instead of awful, Watson and his kids are such likable characters.

As seventh grade starts, Kristy notices that she and her friends are being called on a lot to babysit younger kids. She comes up with an idea to get her and three other friends together in the same place three times a week so that parents can call just one number to find someone to watch their children. And thus begins the Baby-Sitters Club.

This book begins a graphic novel series based on the middle-grade novels of the same name. Having read the originals years ago when I was a tween myself, I can no longer remember enough about them to make a point-by-point comparison, so this review will be about the graphic novel as a standalone work.

The book tackles a few bigger issues (e.g., divorce) but manages to remain light-hearted throughout. show more Much of it is humorous, although there a certainly some deeper moments. Telegemeier's distinctive art style fits with the story and allows emotions to really shine through.

As a whole, the book seems quite appropriate for its target audience. I've noticed that the series is quite popular in my local library as the books are constantly circulating, so they appear to be resonating with that audience. For myself, I enjoyed this book enough to continue on with volume 2. show less

The book may be about Kristy's great idea, but it's a sheerly brilliant idea to translate the BSC books into graphic novels. As a friend and I were excitedly exclaiming, it's such a good sign to see that the juvenile female audience is finally getting some notice from the graphic novel/comics side of the publishing industry (outside of manga imports!)

The story itself remains relatively unchanged, with all of the key plot points hit and the majority of the dialogue intact. The artwork is adorable, and Telgemeier really deserves kudos for her translation of prose to pictures.

I'm eager to see the series continue, although I'm unsure that I'll be picking them up for myself -- I read them all as they were being published the first time. show more But as gifts for younger cousins and the kids of friends? Oh, heck yeah. Right at the top of my list. show less

Kristy comes up with the great idea to create a babysitters club that people in the neighborhood can contact when they need someone to watch their kids. She invites her friends Claudia and Mary Anne, and Claudia invites Stacey. The club is successful and we’re taken through the beginning of the club and some of the interesting and fun adventures they experience. This book is nostalgic for me as I read the original non-graphic series as a kid. It teaches lessons of friendship, honesty, openness, forgiveness and responsibility. Enjoyed the artwork and would recommend it for junior readers.

Artist Raina Telgemeier has breathed new life into Ann M. Martin's much-loved series through her warm, appealing illustrations and deft sense of storytelling. Her delightfully expressive character designs and clean backgrounds make each black and white panel an absolute treasure. Although the original source material is now twenty years old, Telgemeier's style lends a feeling of timelessness to the story.

Just as in the book, this adaptation follows headstrong, take-charge Kristy as she creates the Babysitters Club with the help of her three friends, sheltered Mary Anne, artsy Claudia, and sophisticated newcomer Stacey. While the girls turn the idea into reality and take on their first few babysitting jobs, Kristy struggles to accept show more her mother's boyfriend and his family. Additionally, the sub-plot about Stacey's diet is well crafted and neatly paves the way for the next story in the series. Girls ages 9-13 will adore this volume and clamor for more, as will their 20 and 30-something counterparts who remember the books from their own pre-teen years. show less

This was kind of trippy to read, to be honest. As a child of the 80's, I devoured The Baby-Sitters Club book series like crazy. I remember vividly waiting impatiently for each new one every month, stalking the bookstore. Then I'd rip through it in a few hours. It's been, oh, more than a decade since I thought of these characters or read any of their stories; I really had forgotten everything save the main characters' names.

This was also my first experience with any kind of graphic novel, so it was a doubly weird moment; I had the strange experience of seeing how a children's novel can be adapted to a graphic novel.

I half expected the book to be updated for today's kids -- cell phones, for example -- but was rather surprised that it show more wasn't. (I do know the original books are being updated and rereleased now.) At one point, one of the character refers to a Rainbow Brite doll -- believe me, no one who grew up in the 90's or 00s would know what that is! (Probably.) So that was rather neat.

I still say read the novel, though; I like my mental images of the characters rather than seeing them drawn out. show less

For some reason, I actually think a little bit is lost in the graphic novel, but that could just be me; I read the BSC series growing up and was super into it! The graphic novel is definitely a faithful to the original story, and is a fun read, but for me personally the charm will always be in the novels. :) Also, Telgemeier's backgrounds in here are incredibly bland? It just wasn't very enjoyable to look at as it could have been.