42 pages • 1 hour read
Kristy's Great Idea
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Authorial Context: Ann M. Martin
Ann M. Martin is the writer of the original Baby-Sitters Club series and dozens of other children’s books. Martin was born in 1955 in Princeton, New Jersey. She studied child psychology and early childhood education at Smith College, and upon graduation, she spent a year teaching before beginning her career as an editor. In 1983, she published her first novel, Bummer Summer, which was soon followed by three other novels. Martin was then asked to write four books about a group of girls who babysit, and the idea for the Baby-Sitters Club series was born. Martin was excited to write about a babysitting club because it was something she and her best friend loved to do growing up, and she could identify with the passion behind the project. Martin based the character of Mary Anne loosely off her own personality, with Kristy’s character being based on her best friend.
Martin’s stories about this group of strong girls who grow together, overcome challenges and conflicts, and develop their business along the way have been praised for being relatable and inspiring to young readers. Martin presents her characters’ flaws alongside their strengths, giving the characters room to grow and demonstrating the steps each takes to improve as a person. Martin’s stories tend to center on childhood experiences like divorce, close friendships, and having strict parents, giving young readers ways to navigate these challenging experiences.
Cultural and Series Context: The Baby-Sitters Club
The Baby-Sitters Club was originally commissioned by Jean Feiwel, an editor at Scholastic publishers, in the early 1980s. She noticed how an earlier, seemingly unremarkable novel about a young babysitter had become popular with Scholastic readers and asked Ann M. Martin if she would be interested in creating a short series about babysitters for middle grade readers. Kristy’s Great Idea, Martin’s first book for the series, was published in 1986. The book was positively received, and Scholastic decided to expand the series beyond the original four-volume story arc. The series became increasingly popular; while Martin wrote the first 35 books by herself, ghostwriters were eventually brought in to help keep up with the demand for new installments. Many of the early books feature only the original four babysitters of Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, and Stacey, but other babysitter characters were introduced in later installments and spinoffs.
Since its launch, the series has sold over 176 million copies and has been translated into other languages. Some of the spinoffs have also enjoyed notable success, such as the Baby-Sitters Little Sister series (1988-2000), which now continues in graphic novel form. In 2010, Martin published a special prequel, The Summer Before, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Baby-Sitters Club. The series continues to be popular and relevant despite it being nearly 40 years since the original books were published. While the novel series concluded in 2000, its graphic novel series remains ongoing.
Unlock all 42 pages of this Study GuidePlus, gain access to 8,800+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
Related Titles
By Ann M. Martin
