The Baby-Sitters Club

Yes, yes, this is a very "old school" pick. And my daughter and I both like the "classic" novels WAY better than the new graphic novel versions. You would think that a book written in 1986 might seem pretty out of touch to a modern kid, but we have found that The Baby-Sitters Club is timeless (aside from the fashion maybe--you should see my daughter's eyes when Stacey's or Claudia's "cool" outfits are described!)

What Mom loves about this series:

• It's kid appropriate. My daughter likes reading about teen girls, but unlike many of today's teen novels, these are refreshingly wholesome.
• The baby sitters still feel like people we know. I can just hear my daughter's friends saying and doing some of the things Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey do.
• The characters are dealing with many of the same issues kids deal with today: divorced parents, moving to a new town, making and keeping friends who might be a little different than you. I love how this series gives my daughter and I a jumping off point for some great conversations. And I love that it makes her feel more "normal" having dealt with many of these feelings herself. It's a nice way to look at problems objectively.
• My daughter and I bond over these stories. She likes that I read these as a kids too. And even though she finds it appalling, she likes to read about being a kid in the 1980s -- which isn't really too different when it comes to the important stuff.

Why my daughter loves this series:

• She likes the characters.
• It's "just a good series."

There are literally hundreds of Baby-Sitters Club book. Ann M. Martin only wrote the first 35 entirely on her own. Here are the one's my daughter and I have read together so far: