When thinking about how to earn some extra cash for the summer, babysitting seems like the perfect answer for any tween or teen. Babysitting is often a young person’s introduction to the working world. It’s flexible, convenient, and doesn’t require a resume, but still provides an opportunity to learn responsibility and growth. And like most work experiences, babysitting gives teens and tweens a chance to connect with their peers and the world around them, helping them through this transition from child to adult. Here, we’ve gathered three books that mesh tween and teen lives with the joys and struggles of babysitting that any babysitter, current or past, will relate to. 

The Baby-Sitters Club Graphix #1: Kristy’s Great Idea By Ann M. Martin & Raina Telgemeier

The Baby-Sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin was an iconic must-read for every babysitter in the ‘90s, and now, thanks to the incredible artistic skills of beloved graphic novelist Raina Telgemeier, the series has received a fresh coat of paint as an updated graphic novel. An introduction to the series, Kristy’s Great Idea, follows Kristy, Mary-Anne, Claudia, and Stacey: Four best friends and the founding members of the Baby-Sitters Club. The babysitters juggle teenage stressors like strict parents and school drama while also learning how to tackle toddler tantrums and picky eaters. Luckily for the BSC, through friendship, anything is possible. Heartwarming, relatable, and feel-good, The Baby-Sitters Club Graphix #1: Kristy’s Great Idea is a great read for any tween/teen babysitter, past or present. 

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Best Babysitters Ever By Caroline Cala

A fun and snarky jab at books like The Baby-Sitters Club, Best Babysitters Ever follows twelve-year-old Malia Twiggs and her two friends, Dot and Bree, as they concoct a plan to get rich quick through babysitting gigs so they can fund an epic birthday bash. While the girls believe they’ve struck gold, reality soon hits them as babysitting turns out to be a lot harder than expected. Now they’re forced to confront their initial feelings of greed and learn how to accept responsibility and grow as people. And who knows,  maybe they’ll end up enjoying babysitting. Sarcastic, relatable, and incredibly funny, Best Babysitters Ever will have you rooting for Malia and belly-laughing along the way. 

The Babysitters Coven By Kate M. Williams

Fashionable, moody, and very teenage, Esme Pearl is a seventeen-year-old nonconformist with a genuine love for babysitting and a hatred of “real jobs”. She runs a babysitting club with her dorky best friend, Janis, mostly hanging out, thifting, and occasionally picking up babysitting gigs. Esme’s life is turned upside down after a series of unfortunate events leaves destruction everywhere she goes. And now the cool new girl, Cassandra Heaven, wants to join her two-person babysitting club. Things turn supernatural as the girls discover they’re linked to the Sitters, powerful witches who protect the world from evil. Now they must balance fighting demons and putting kids to bed before mom gets home. Magical, moody, and so much fun, The Babysitters Coven is perfect for any teen with a witchy side. 

While there are many fantastic books out there for babysitting teens and tweens, this list is a great starting point for those looking for something realistic about how teens and tweens actually act and think. Babysitting can be hard, and being a tween/teen can be even harder! Tweens and teens love to feel heard and understood, especially in the books they read, and this list contains books that do a great job of depicting their thoughts and feelings as complex and important, while also tackling relatable social scenarios and outcomes. 

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Ava Heiler is a Michigan-based comic artist, publicist, and amateur rollerblader pursuing a BFA in Sequential Art at the Savannah College of Art and Design. As an artist, she has a deep love and respect for picture books and the people who make them, as she believes they are an integral part of every childhood.

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