Ann M. Martin

Wishing that she had a boyfriend, Claudia starts a personals column in the school newspaper in the hope of finding the "perfect boy." Ann M. Martin is the creator of The Baby-sitters Club, which has more than 190 million books in print, making it one of the most popular series in the history of publishing. Her novels include A Corner of the Universe (a Newbery Honor Book), Belle Teal, Here Today, A Dog's Life, On Christmas Eve, and the...

"They're lean, they're mean, they're the pride of Stoneybrook. Who are they? They're Kristy's Krushers! When Kristy sees how much her little brothers and sister want to play on a softball team, she starts a ragtag team of her own. Maybe Kristy's Krushers aren't world champions (how could they be, with Jackie Rodowsky, walking disaster, playing for them?), but nobody beats them when it comes to team spirit. Now Bart's Bashers have challenged the Krushers...

"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-sitter's 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?"-- Provided...

Stacey, a member of the Baby-sitters Club, learns to cope with her diabetes and her overprotective parents.

When a fight breaks out among the members of the Baby-sitters Club, timid Mary Anne finds herself becoming more assertive as a baby sitter and in her relationships with her father and friends.

"Stacey's invited her friends from the Baby-sitters Club down to New York City for a long weekend. But what a mistake! The Baby-sitters are way out of place in the big city. Mary Anne sounds like a walking guide book; Dawn's afraid of everything; Kristy can't keep her mouth shut; and Claudia's jealous of Stacey's friends. Does this mean Stacey can't be the Baby-sitters' friend anymore? Will the Baby-sitters Club fall apart?"--Page 4 of cover.

"It's fun to be a Baby-sitters Little Sister. No fair! Karen is having a bad-luck day. Her favorite jeans are missing. There's no prize in the Crunch-O cereal box. And Boo-Boo the cat runs away from her! Karen tries everything to make her day better. But her bad luck just won't go away. She even gets punished and sent to her room! Poor Karen--will this be her worst day ever?" -- Publisher's description.

Feeling isolated as the only African American in her sixth grade class, Jessi gains a sense of belonging by participating in the Baby-sitters Club, learning sign language in order to communicate with a deaf child, and dancing in a ballet.

"Karen has to get glasses--two pairs! One pair for reading and one for all the time. Karen does not want glasses. Her school pictures are going to be taken soon! But Karen has to...so she picks out some pretty pink and blue ones. Karen thinks she looks very grown-up. Then Yicky Ricky calls her Four-eyes. If Karen wears her glasses for the school picture, Ricky will make fun of her. But Karen is not a wimp! Glasses or no glasses--that Ricky is going...

"Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle has left her Upside-Down House and the animals that live there in the care of her twenty-something niece, Missy. Luckily for the town's families, Missy Piggle-Wiggle is capable of concocting the same sort of inventive cures for bad behavior that made her aunt an indispensable community resource"-- Provided by publisher.