Confession: The Baby-Sitter’s Club

I can’t quite remember when my childhood bookshelves were emptied of their contents. All I know for certain is that my collection of The Babysitter’s Club, Sweet Valley High, R.L. Stine and various others no longer occupy the white bookcases in my old bedroom. Not that I miss them, I was ready to let them go (whenever that was), and I’m sure that they are in a better place now (wherever that may be).

Ok, so perhaps I do miss them a little, once in a while. I can still picture the bottom two shelves of my bookcases, which were designated for my Baby-Sitter’s Club collection. The way I consumed those books I imagine Ann M. Martin has a castle next to J.K. Rowling in Scotland.

Whenever I feel a twinge sadness at the loss of my beloved Baby-Sitter’s Club I remind myself how easy it is to take a little trip down memory lane:

First, I can head over to Scholastic to take the online quiz informing me which member of the club I am. Although, let’s be honest, if you remember even a little bit about the books you can rig it. I know Kristy was bossy, Mary Anne was sensitive, Stacey was glamorous, Dawn was into the environment, Claudia was artsy, Jessi was a dancer, and… sorry Mallory, I never wanted to be you, I thought you were lame (I see the irony now, since Mallory was the “writer”).

Then over to Mental Floss, which also offers a few fun BSC related items.

{1} A BSC general quiz to see what you can remember about the books (my score: 77%…. very beatable).

{2} A quiz where you have to decide if the outfit described is a Claudia Kishi creation, or something a celebrity wore (my score: 75%…this one was tougher, I’m surprised I did even that well).

{3} The Quick 10 on the BSC, with some interesting information on the series. Also, readers are asked to hypothesize where the members of the BSC would be at 28. I can’t quite decide my own version of where are they now, but Stacey as a Real Housewife of New York City? Sounds right on track!

The Baby-Sitter’s Club was reissued about a year ago with a prequel:

While I’m happy they are reaching a new generation, in my mind they should always look like the originals, many of which are available on ebay. Also available on ebay is the original Baby-Sitter’s Club game, which I once proudly owned.

See why I thought Mallory was lame? Her picture is terrible (bottom headshot), and I totally had pierced ears way before she did. Besides, who lets an 11 year old babysit?