Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job

by Willo Davis Roberts

I'm Darcy Stevens. A baby-sitter for the Foster children. Now, I've taken care of bratty kids before, but never three all at once. These kids are really something. I was reading to the two girls and Jeremy snuck into the den to call his Uncle Rick who lives in Hawaii! Later the baby covered herself with her mother's expensive makeup!

But that's not the half of it. After I interviewed for the job, my brother drove me home and I saw a black car following us. Then on my first day, this stranger came to the door and said he was from the gas company and had to get in for an emergency. I asked to see his ID and instead of showing me, he just left.

I could never have predicted what would happen next....

Genres: Middle Grade, Mystery, Young Adult, Childrens, Fiction, Thriller, Realistic Fiction

144 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Willo Davis Roberts was an American writer chiefly known for her mystery novels for children and young adults. She won Edgar Allan Poe awards in 1989, 1995, and 1997 for best juvenile and best young adult mysteries. Her books included The View from the Cherry Tree, Twisted Summer, Don't Hurt Laurie, Megan's Island, Baby-sitting is a Dangerous Job, Hostage, The Girl with Silver Eyes, The One Left Behind and Scared Stiff.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book so. very. much when I was in late elementary school. I was obsessed with babysitting at that age (blame Ann M. Martin) and with child oriented kidnapping stories, so of course this was a perfect match for me. I haven't read it in perhaps ten years, but I'm thinking about tracking it down and reliving the nostalgia. To this day I can remember seemingly random portions of the book with much more detail than I can of things I read a year ago.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title says it all.

Babysitter is in charge of unruly kids at an isolated home. As if that wasn't bad enough, some seems to be stalking her.

Scooby Doo-ish.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I still remember this book in detail even though I read it about 12 years ago! It's very suspenseful without being scary and the story is gripping.

Though written for children- teachers and parents certainly won't fall asleep while reading this one aloud.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went through a phase where I loved all things Willo Davis Roberts, and this was one of my favorites! I spent so much time planning what I would do if I was ever kidnapped while baby sitting! I was totally prepared!

[Tiff]

This was a FAVORITE book of mine back in the day. I read it so many times (I tended to do that back then). I must find a copy and read it now, and probably laugh at it's 80tastic vibe.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the books I read over and over again as a child. It holds up surprisingly well!

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darcy is a model babysitter. She's met with a few difficult kids in the past, and always managed to keep them in check, and she thinks she can handle the Fosters. Sure, there are 3 of them. Sure, they assert that they don't like her when they first meet her. Sure, they cause all sorts of mishaps, some of them rather expensive, the first day she ever babysits them. But she kept them out of danger - she always found them when they ran away, she reacted quickly when the burglar alarm went off, she didn't let a strange man claiming to be from the gas company so much as a step into the house. But somehow, she and the kids still ended up kidnapped. But Darcy thinks they might have a chance at outsmarting the kidnappers, and yes, maybe even escaping. I'm not going to tell you what happens next - you'll have to read Baby-Sitting Is A Dangerous Job to find out.

Baby-Sitting Is A Dangerous Job could be described as a lot of different things. Fun, for example. Cute. Suspenseful. Nostalgic, perhaps. For me, it was a combination of all those things. The protagonist was someone young people might look up to - a moral, courageous, and somehow fun 13-year-old who has the guts and brains to keep the Fosters under control. The setting was vivid for a middle grade realistic fiction. I especially liked the description of the different types of houses in Darcy's neighborhood. Willo Davis Roberts writes fairly well. The book was full of twisty suspense that's just perfect given the genre and audience. I was pleasantly surprised to see a subplot emerge (Diana and her own escape). I also loved reading about all the different experiences the kidnapped kids had, from video games to escape attempts. My only complaint was that I craved a little something more. This is likely because I'm a little older than most readers. :D

This book is a solid pick for kids 8-12 who enjoy stories with suspense and funny, naughty kids. I enjoyed it when I read it though I wouldn't consider it a favorite, but I see it going over very well with the target age group. I simply prefer more complex novels personally.

****4 stars****

[Stephanie A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another elementary school classic, a.k.a. "purchased from Scholastic book orders in 4th or 5th grade, which I now vaguely regret getting rid of" because this is one of those books where I remembered every detail with stunning clarity immediately upon reading it.


The preteen tasked with taking care of 3 bratty children (who just need someone to love them!) in the luxury house, the runaway classmate, people munching on "Big Block Hershey bars," the way the abducted kids are kept in an old house in the middle of nowhere, the snarling guard Dobermans at the top of the stairs (featured on the cover) who can be bribed with food into being very nice doggies, the one bad guy who is nicer than the other two and gives them tons of leeway, and best of all the little almost-hidden cupola tower with a playroom at the top, which I remember because it was the first time I'd encountered the word "cupola" and I still have trouble pronouncing it right. Also, of course, the terrifying wasp-nest detail and its use as a weapon...

All in all, an incredibly satisfying Kids Save Themselves From Big Bad Guys adventure.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first page turner I ever read (at age 8 or 9), and I still remember holing up in my room reading it. I loved it enough to keep this edition all these years, and decided to reread it as an adult. It doesn't exactly hold up as an adult read, but for its intended audience, I can see why I was hooked as a kid.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

rating based on how much i loved this book when i was 10

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man, bring back short chapter books. This was fun.

[JuliaW_E2]

The protagonist Darcy, an intelligent baby sitter, was baby sitting the Foster kids; she knew it would be difficult because of three kids that are always looking for trouble and them being the riches family in town. After reading this book, I believe that the theme is that sometimes in life, you have to take risks in order to complete something. Darcy and the Foster kids risked being stung by wasps in order to take down the kidnappers. Another part of the book that showed that you would need to take risks was when she and one of the Foster kids snuck around the house to find possible exits for them to escape while one of the kidnappers were in the house with them. And by risking their lives, they found the escape plan that saved them.

[Alyssa Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book that somehow ended up in my family’s bookshelves when I was a kid and I never got around to reading it, but the title stuck around with me, so I finally decided to request it from the library.

Overall, it was fine. It’s a children’s thriller about a young teenage girl named Darcy who baby-sits to earn herself a little extra money. She decides to take on the Foster job, even though she knows the kids are going to be bratty, but she’s getting a lot of money out of it, so why not? Right from the start, weird things start happening in the book — she and her brother seem to be followed by a black car on their way back from the Foster home to their home; and later, while walking with her friend, Darcy sees the same black car. At the same time, her friend has run away from home to escape her father’s abuse, so she tries to help her out. The main conflict of the story, though, is that Darcy and the Foster kids get kidnapped to earn a ransom and they want to figure out a way to escape from the kidnappers before they get hurt, or worse.

Basically, there’s a lot going on in this book and I’m not sure it holds up. It was written in the 80’s, and a lot of stuff is thrown out that isn’t taken very seriously. And yes, this is a thriller and not a Judy Blume book, but it’s troubling to see abuse get thrown out and not really addressed properly. It seems like the book’s message is: no, don’t talk to the proper authorities, running away is a good option sometimes, which isn’t a great message for kids. Even later, when the kidnapping is resolved, Darcy talks about it like she just had a daring adventure, calling her friend late at night to fill her in on all the “drama.” No mention of trauma? No parental check-ups? They hug her, give her an extra dessert, and let her talk on the phone. It’s all very strange.

With that said, it’s a fairly enjoyable story if you don’t think about it too much, which pretty much fits into the thriller genre overall, in my opinion. It’s nice to see Darcy realize that the kids she watches are more than burdens, so her character growth is interesting in that she starts actually caring for the kids she baby-sits rather than inwardly complain about how spoiled they are. And it’s nice to see the kids go through a change with how they treat her. This is an entertaining story, but not one I think kids today would enjoy, and not something I’d recommend as a “good read” to anyone, but it’s not bad either.

Also posted on Purple People Readers.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was in the fourth and fifth grades, Willo Davis Roberts was the author, probably even more so than Judy Blume. The school librarian could not keep her books on the shelf. As a young baby-sitter myself this was the one I was most eager to read. Deliciously creepy and suspenseful, I found it great fun to read this in bed, throwing the covers over my head, heart pounding at the particularly thrilling parts. I am so pleased her books are back in print. Pick up this spine-tingling thriller if you dare!

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book I probably shouldn't have read. It's not a preparatory manual on how to escape a kidnapping, yet I treated it as such.

[Lana]

Read a long time ago, I think in Middle School.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite pre-teen suspense book. I imagined myself as this character and fantasized about escaping from being kidnapped!

[Foggygirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I still have this book on my bookshelf.

[Katelin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this in the elementary school library, and I think I read it twice. I really enjoyed it.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books as a child and my students seem to enjoy it too!

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roberts has always been one of my favorite writers for young readers, and this offering does not disappoint. Darcy finds herself and the three children she was babysitting in mortal peril through no fault of her own, and uses bravery and quick wits to help the police rescue all of them with no harm done. Even the kidnappers suffer nothing worse than a lot of wasp stings. I recommend this book in lieu of Nancy Drew books, because Nancy Drew chases the bad guys by herself and with no means of self-defense. In a time when all the bad guys seem to be armed with AR-15s, that isn't a good decision.

[Maria Antonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute book about a teen named Darcy who gets a baby-sitting job for a family known to have three, rambunctious kids. That's how she ends up being kidnapped along with the children. I like how she and the children bond and work together.

Is the book realistic? Not really, but it's fairly entertaining. I do love the cover on this re-release. (I've seen the original 1980's cover and, well, this one is so much better. Although I'm not exactly sure what the tree house has to do with the plot!)

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always thought this one had the catchiest title. Did it live up to the hype? Yes, in a 80s TV movie/afterschool special kind of way. The children might be bratty or neglected. Or they might even be in danger.
This is the story of Darcy and the three Foster children who are all kidnapped while she is babysitting them for ransom. Will the ransom be paid? Will their kidnappers release them? Or can the four of them figure out a way to escape on their own?

[Deja Roden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fun kid mystery/thriller was absolutely delightful! I really was at the edge of my seat without it being completely gory, language-infused, or sinister. I would let my kids read this in junior high especially because of the representation of a healthy family, consequences of the choices we make and how mature the protagonist was. I really liked this book! The ending was tied in “too much” of neat bow...and so I land solidly in 4.5 score.

[Sinead · Rating 1 out of 5]

i didn't like this i only read to page 30 and gave up. the story was told by a 13 year old girl put of view. but the read was like "i just had lunch,i told her" i found it all very mono-toned also the wording of the synopsis could have been better place as it said " can Darcey save the foster kids" which instantly made me think of kids in care

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found myself missing this book as a kid, so I re-read it again. I was surprised by how vividly I remembered the food descriptions! Burgers in sacks! Apples instead of Hershey's Big Block bars! Shicken (lol). What struck me is how Darcy, the 13 year old baby-sitter, does the right thing the whole time.

[Gabby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book at a sale years ago and recently discovered it again. It was as good a read this time round than last. I remember the vague unease it left me with as a babysitter last time. A fun book and interesting look into the psychology of children.

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book to my sons for Reading Competition. I’ve enjoyed most of the books we read for this, but this one was very disappointing. I was especially disappointed because I read some books by Willow Davis Roberts & really enjoyed them.

[Devin Boehmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so gripping and suspenseful! I feel like it would have scared me as a kid. A really great mystery although as an adult it’s funny to see everything come together so fast at the end, tied up with a nice bow.

[Violet Ashmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book, read it in one sitting. It was amazing and had me gripping to every word. I was reading every word to find out if the foster kids and Darcy would make it out alive. I love this book, and it makes me want to babysit even more