Showing results by author "Ann M. Martin" in All Categories

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle has gone away unexpectedly and left her niece, Missy Piggle-Wiggle, in charge of the Upside-Down House and the beloved animals who live there: Lester the pig, Wag the dog, and Penelope the parrot, among others. Families in town soon realize that like her great-aunt, Missy Piggle-Wiggle has inventive cures for all sorts of childhood (mis)behavior: The Whatever Cure and the Just-a-Minute Cure, for instance. What is a stressed out parent to do? Why, call Missy Piggle-Wiggle, of course!

Kristy's mom is getting married, and everyone is coming to town to help, bringing their kids with them. Fourteen kids! Kristy is sure she and Stacey, Claudia, Mary Anne, and Dawn can handle it - they're professional baby-sitters after all, and Kristy's mom has offered them a lot of money to take on such a big job.

But will a week of changing diapers, stopping fights, solving mix-ups, and keeping 14 children entertained prove to be too much for the BSC? Can they keep things under control for Kristy's big day?

After Kristy's mom got married, her family moved to Watson's house in a new neighborhood. But the kids there aren't very friendly - in fact, they're total snobs! They criticize Kristy's clothes, make fun of the Baby-Sitters Club...and worst of all, they laugh at Louie, Kristy's pet collie, who's going blind. Nobody does that and gets away with it! Kristy's fighting mad, and she's not going to put up with a Snob Attack any longer - and neither is the BSC!

Claudia's not worried when she hears her newest baby-sitting charge, Betsy, is a great practical joker. After all, how much harm can one girl do? As it turns out - plenty! Claudia breaks her leg because of one of Betsy's mean jokes...and now she's talking about quitting the club. Baby-sitting might be too dangerous. The rest of the BSC decides that Betsy needs to be taught a lesson - and the joke war is on!

Claudia's sister, Janine, is too busy being smart to be nice to anyone - even their grandmother, Mimi. But Claudia doesn't have to see Janine too much this summer, since the Baby-Sitters Club is starting a new play group. It's going to be so much fun! But then Mimi has a stroke, and the whole summer changes. Now Claudia is "Mimi-sitting," and Janine is no help at all. How can the Kishi sisters get along when Janine is always so mean?

Stacey doesn't like to tell everyone that she has diabetes. Her friends in the Baby-Sitters Club are supportive, but Stacey has lost other friends who didn't understand her condition. Stacey's parents don't seem to understand, either; they're constantly taking her to new doctors. The truth is, she likes her doctor and just wants to spend her time being a normal girl and hanging out with the Club. Can Stacey find the courage to be honest - with everyone? 

Mary Anne has never been a leader of the BSC. So when a fight breaks out among the club's four members, Mary Anne feels a little lost, unable to depend on Kristy, Stacey, or Claudia anymore. Sitting by herself in the cafeteria is bad enough; when Mary Anne has to baby-sit a sick child without any help from the club, she knows someone has to take action. It's time for Mary Anne to step in and save the day! 

Mary Anne should never have thrown away that chain letter she got in the mail. Ever since she did, bad things have been happening - to everyone in the Baby-Sitters Club. With Halloween coming up, Mary Anne's even more worried - what kind of spooky thing will happen next? Then Mary Anne finds a new note in her mailbox: Wear this bad-luck charm, it says. Or else. Mary Anne has to do what the note says. But who sent the charm? And why send it to Mary Anne? If the BSC doesn't solve this mystery soon, their bad luck might never stop!

In one of the strongest Babysitters Club books ever, the club must deal with a client who is abusive toward his children. Ann M. Martin addresses a difficult and important topic in her characteristic sensitive and informed style.

Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, and Stacey try to be prepared for anything when they baby-sit. So when they hear about the Phantom Caller, a jewel thief who's been breaking into nearby homes, they come up with a plan to keep their kids safe. But when Claudia and the other girls start receiving creepy phone calls while they're out on jobs, they start to get really spooked. Will the mystery caller scare off the BSC?  

Dawn and Mary Anne are finally stepsisters and also roommates. When they begin to get on each other's nerves, Dawn comes up with a solution which pleases everyone. 

The members of the Baby-Sitters Club come to the rescue to help Mary Anne search for her beloved kitten, Tigger, who has suddenly vanished.

There's some bad news in the Pike family: Mallory's dad has just lost his job. And since money is going to be tight until Mr. Pike finds a new job, all eight of the Pike kids decide to help out. Nicky gets a paper route, Vanessa tries selling her poetry, and Mallory takes a baby-sitting job in Kristy's ritzy neighborhood. But being around the Delaneys only makes Mallory feel poor. They have a cat that cost $400 and tennis courts in their backyard! Poor Mallory - she needs the Baby-sitters now more than ever!

Jessi knows a secret language! She learned it from Matt Braddock, the BSC's newest charge. Matt's been deaf since birth, and he uses sign language to speak. Since Jessi is Matt's baby-sitter, she's been using sign language, too. Soon all the kids in Stoneybrook want to learn to sign...which keeps the baby-sitters busy. Jessi's the busiest of all: she working on another secret just for Matt. Will she be able to keep the secret and pull off her special event?

Mallory Pike has always wanted to be a member of the Baby-Sitters Club - they're so much fun to be around, and she's practically a baby-sitter already. Now the club members have invited Mallory to a meeting. This might be her big chance! But the BSC isn't making it easy - they make Mal feel like a baby on a job, and make her take an impossible written test. Mallory's beginning to think she doesn't want to be a part of the BSC...or maybe she and her new friend Jessi should start a club of their own. It's time to show those baby-sitters what a couple of new girls can do!

Stacey and Mary Anne are baby-sitting for the Pike family for two weeks at the New Jersey shore. Things are great in Sea City: There's a gorgeous house right on the beach, a boardwalk, plenty of sun and sand...and the cutest boy Stacey has ever seen! Mary Anne thinks that Stacey should leave Scott alone and focus on the Pike kids, but Stacey's in love. Looking for reasons to hang around his lifeguard stand takes up all of her time, which means Mary Anne has to do the job of two baby-sitters.

Claudia has always been the most outrageous girl in her class...until Ashley Wyeth comes along. Ashley's really different - she dresses in hippie clothes, wears six earrings and work boots, and is the most fantastic artist Claudia has ever met. Ashley says Claudia has artistic talent, too, but thinks Claudia should spend more time on her "calling" and stop wasting time on the Baby-Sitters Club. The baby-sitters are sick of Ashley Wyeth, and they feel like Claudia is a traitor. Claudia has to decide: either the BSC or the new girl - one of them's got to go!

The baby-sitters love getting new clients. So when the Lowells contact the club, everyone is thrilled. For Mary Anne, sitting for the Lowells is a snap, and the kids are adorable and obedient. But when Claudia meets the family, Mrs. Lowell will barely look her in the eye, and the kids are downright rude! The next time Mrs. Lowell calls the BSC, she requests another sitter - anyone but Claudia. Claudia has no idea what she did wrong, but the BSC won't rest until they find out!

Rose Howard has OCD, Asperger's syndrome, and an obsession with homonyms (even her name is a homonym). She gave her dog Rain a name with two homonyms (Reign, Rein), which, according to Rose's rules of homonyms, is very special. Rain was a lost dog Rose's father brought home. Rose and Rain are practically inseparable. And they are often home alone, as Rose's father spends most evenings at a bar, and doesn't have much patience for his special-needs daughter.

Dawn has always thought there was a secret passage hidden in her house. But that doesn't explain why creepy things happen when Dawn's at home, or the spooky noises coming from behind her bedroom wall. Dawn is sure there's a ghost in her house! And so are the other Baby-Sitters Club members. But they're so busy with their jobs that they don't have time for a ghost hunt. Will Dawn and her friends solve the mystery...or will Dawn have to share her house with a ghost?