What do you think?
Rate this book
Baby-Sitters Little Sister Graphic Novels #8
Karen's Sleepover
Another graphic novel in this fun series spin-off of The Baby-sitters Club, featuring Kristy’s little stepsister! Karen is having her first sleepover! She and her friends are going to tell spooky stories, bake cookies, and raid the refrigerator. But then Karen and Nancy get into a big fight, and Karen doesn't want Nancy to come to her party. A new girl, Pamela, comes instead and she isn't any fun. What is Karen going to do?
144 pages, Paperback
First published May 7, 2024
600 people are currently reading
831 people want to read
About the author
Ann M. Martin
1,123 books3,085 followersAnn Matthews Martin was born on August 12, 1955. She grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, with her parents and her younger sister, Jane. After graduating from Smith College, Ann became a teacher and then an editor of children's books. She's now a full-time writer.
Ann gets the ideas for her books from many different places. Some are based on personal experiences, while others are based on childhood memories and feelings. Many are written about contemporary problems or events. All of Ann's characters, even the members of the Baby-sitters Club, are made up. But many of her characters are based on real people. Sometimes Ann names her characters after people she knows, and other times she simply chooses names that she likes.
Ann has always enjoyed writing. Even before she was old enough to write, she would dictate stories to her mother to write down for her. Some of her favorite authors at that time were Lewis Carroll, P. L. Travers, Hugh Lofting, Astrid Lindgren, and Roald Dahl. They inspired her to become a writer herself.
Since ending the BSC series in 2000, Ann’s writing has concentrated on single novels, many of which are set in the 1960s.
After living in New York City for many years, Ann moved to the Hudson Valley in upstate New York where she now lives with her dog, Sadie, and her cats, Gussie, Willy and Woody. Her hobbies are reading, sewing, and needlework. Her favorite thing to do is to make clothes for children.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/annmma...
Ann gets the ideas for her books from many different places. Some are based on personal experiences, while others are based on childhood memories and feelings. Many are written about contemporary problems or events. All of Ann's characters, even the members of the Baby-sitters Club, are made up. But many of her characters are based on real people. Sometimes Ann names her characters after people she knows, and other times she simply chooses names that she likes.
Ann has always enjoyed writing. Even before she was old enough to write, she would dictate stories to her mother to write down for her. Some of her favorite authors at that time were Lewis Carroll, P. L. Travers, Hugh Lofting, Astrid Lindgren, and Roald Dahl. They inspired her to become a writer herself.
Since ending the BSC series in 2000, Ann’s writing has concentrated on single novels, many of which are set in the 1960s.
After living in New York City for many years, Ann moved to the Hudson Valley in upstate New York where she now lives with her dog, Sadie, and her cats, Gussie, Willy and Woody. Her hobbies are reading, sewing, and needlework. Her favorite thing to do is to make clothes for children.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/annmma...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
Read
October 9, 2025lol my sisters got this book and i just read it in like 10 minutes, i remember when these took me like a day 🥺🥺
May 15, 2024
These graphic novel adaptations are so well done!
September 3, 2024
3🌟
I was at a sleepover and read this before bed. My friend had a bunch of books and she let me read one of them so this is the one I chose. It was quick and easy and I didn’t really care about it. The illustrations are nice and it helped me fall asleep but that was it. For ages 8/9 and up.
I was at a sleepover and read this before bed. My friend had a bunch of books and she let me read one of them so this is the one I chose. It was quick and easy and I didn’t really care about it. The illustrations are nice and it helped me fall asleep but that was it. For ages 8/9 and up.
May 9, 2024
Sure, Pamela is a bit stuck up in later books. But as someone who just started at the school that week and sleepover a few days later? It seems like her behavior was just a kid in a new place who didn’t know how to cope.
Karen was unnecessarily mean to Nancy, even though Nancy “tattled”. It’s another example of me thinking that by middle school they will not be friends anymore.
Karen was unnecessarily mean to Nancy, even though Nancy “tattled”. It’s another example of me thinking that by middle school they will not be friends anymore.
June 17, 2025
I love how mature Karen gets with each book.
August 23, 2025
these books are a necessity even though i’m a teenager
😔
😔
September 24, 2025
Doesn’t really have a climax or ending. Stuff happens and then there’s no more pages.
December 15, 2024
Another good addition to the Little Sister graphic novel series. These are all treated like stand alones which makes them easy to pick up and read in any order. Sure, it helps to know the previous books and the older Baby-sitters stories but it isn't critical to enjoying this one.
I still also find these do a better job of blending the old and new references.
As always, Karen learns a big lesson. She did, however, come across as less bratty while doing so.
I still also find these do a better job of blending the old and new references.
As always, Karen learns a big lesson. She did, however, come across as less bratty while doing so.
September 22, 2025
Karen just never seems quite age appropriate. Like, a sleepover with a cousin or a best friend seems fine for second grade but inviting all the girls in class seems like a big stretch, the kind of thing that parents would talk a kid out of, but Karen gets it into her head to have a sleepover and she writes out invitations for everybody, except Hannie’s invitation is delayed in the mail. Oh no! Hannie decides that Karen didn’t invite her and doesn’t like her and she gets Karen in trouble and their relationship spirals. They’re best enemies now.
Meanwhile, there’s a new girl in class, and she’s sophisticated and wears cool clothes. She arrives at Karen’s sleepover and starts acting like a total snob: I can’t eat pizza because it makes my breath smell; I can’t sleep in a sleeping bag, I need a bed; your house has a playroom, that’s babyish. Poor kid. She’s either another authorial misjudgment of the developmental age of seven-year-olds, or the adults in her life are garbage. Karen tries to drum up some antipathy for this girl after she’s gone to sleep in Karen’s bed, but a few of the other kids stick up for her. Good.
Will Hannie and Karen reconcile? Will Charlie’s ghost story be too scary? Will everyone stay up until midnight? If these were fourth graders instead of second graders it would have been spot on. This was entertaining and honestly well done for a graphic retelling of a cash grab ‘80s spin-off series. This book is okay.
Meanwhile, there’s a new girl in class, and she’s sophisticated and wears cool clothes. She arrives at Karen’s sleepover and starts acting like a total snob: I can’t eat pizza because it makes my breath smell; I can’t sleep in a sleeping bag, I need a bed; your house has a playroom, that’s babyish. Poor kid. She’s either another authorial misjudgment of the developmental age of seven-year-olds, or the adults in her life are garbage. Karen tries to drum up some antipathy for this girl after she’s gone to sleep in Karen’s bed, but a few of the other kids stick up for her. Good.
Will Hannie and Karen reconcile? Will Charlie’s ghost story be too scary? Will everyone stay up until midnight? If these were fourth graders instead of second graders it would have been spot on. This was entertaining and honestly well done for a graphic retelling of a cash grab ‘80s spin-off series. This book is okay.
January 13, 2026
There was a new student and her name was Pamela! She looked so cool and she had makeup red hair and people loved her! Karen wanted to be friends with Pamela! but she thought she was kind but she was not! At the end Pamela was being and saying that her stuffy was a baby toy! She almost throwed Karen's stuffy in the garbage!
; ls
; ls
May 16, 2024
Karen invites her classmates to the big house for her first sleepover. Nancy’s doesn’t get her invite when everyone else does, and she think Karen didn’t invite her. When she finally does get her invite they are already embroiled in a big fight. Much drama ensues.
May 9, 2024
The original book was a favorite from childhood. It was fun to revisit it!
June 12, 2024
It shows the truths of friendship. Mistakes will be made, but you can make up and
learn from those mistakes, to make your friendship stronger.
learn from those mistakes, to make your friendship stronger.
October 14, 2024
Short and odd. One moment it’s normalizing divorce (which is a theme across the series), the next “best enemies”, then dealing with an obstinate popular girl. And only one plot thread resolves. Overall, the theme of forgiveness is the best part.
May 15, 2024
So cute! I love the art style. Katy Farina does a fantastic job with these graphic novels. Kristy is such a good stepsister to Karen, and I love Sam and Charlie as well.
July 24, 2025
Just read this one today, after seeing some reviews... and I have to say, it really isn't too well written. Karen and Nancy get into a big fight, and Karen kicks her out of her sleepover, after Nancy does something spiteful to her. To be honest, this wouldn't bother me so much... if Karen was better done. She kind of just acts like a brat!! She goes around the house, telling everyone not to misbehave when her classmates are over, again and again. She even scolds a baby/young toddler for her table manners...? I know kids are sometimes like this, I have siblings of my own. But... I don't like how she's such a bad role model- even that wouldn't be so bad, if it was done in the more comedic way, like many books where the kids are troublemakers handle them. This just acts like her behavior is perfectly normal and okay, and I don't like it. At one point her and her classmates try to sneak out at midnight and raid the fridge, which, again, children's books having mischief doesn't bother me. What does bother me is that after they are caught, it ends with Karen telling her friends 'she's sorry they couldn't raid the fridge' and the others replying with 'that's okay, it was still fun.' Maybe I'm overacting... But I feel like it's teaching kids that behaving like that is okay. The art was still cute and the story was light, but I don't feel like this book would be great if your kid might be influenced by the way she behaves.
(As stated in my review, this book contains some mischief. I would still give it an age rating of all-ages, but I don't think I'd recommend it.)
(As stated in my review, this book contains some mischief. I would still give it an age rating of all-ages, but I don't think I'd recommend it.)
May 8, 2024
Yo fuck Pamela
September 10, 2024
Karen never having a sleepover before decided to hold one at her dad's big house for the first time with her female classmates. A planner that Karen is, she sent out formal invitations and mailed one invitation to one of her best friend, Nancy. With the mail being delayed, Nancy grew impatient and felt left out because everyone else received their invitation in person. Because of the way she felt, Nancy did something petty to Karen by tattling on her to their teacher for drawing in books during class. This angered Karen, who un-invited Nancy to the sleepover.
I find that this is very close to how little children act, and even how adults act. Probably not from the pettiness of not being invited, even though Karen even told Nancy in person that she IS invited, but from not forgiving after being wronged.
Overall, the thought process is compatible to how young children as young as 7 years old think. I do, however, not feel comfortable with Karen and her friends kind of shunning Pamela after the sleepover? Especially vowing that they will never be friends with Pamela because of her true colors. As unsatisfactory as Pamela was at the sleepover and her uptightness, I feel like the author could have left that out. Maybe state that things didn't work out with Pamela and that she became friends with others and that Karen and her friends are ok with that. Somewhere along the lines of that, not because they don't like her personality so they choose to intentionally keep her away from their activities. I find that really harsh and inappropriate to teach to children as they are still growing while learning social skills, how to be among others, and how to function in general in society. To input this "lesson" into the story, it almost makes it seem like this is ok to do. Perhaps the author was going off of how a 7 year old thinks, but I think there can be better intentions to how the ending can be delivered.
I find that this is very close to how little children act, and even how adults act. Probably not from the pettiness of not being invited, even though Karen even told Nancy in person that she IS invited, but from not forgiving after being wronged.
Overall, the thought process is compatible to how young children as young as 7 years old think. I do, however, not feel comfortable with Karen and her friends kind of shunning Pamela after the sleepover? Especially vowing that they will never be friends with Pamela because of her true colors. As unsatisfactory as Pamela was at the sleepover and her uptightness, I feel like the author could have left that out. Maybe state that things didn't work out with Pamela and that she became friends with others and that Karen and her friends are ok with that. Somewhere along the lines of that, not because they don't like her personality so they choose to intentionally keep her away from their activities. I find that really harsh and inappropriate to teach to children as they are still growing while learning social skills, how to be among others, and how to function in general in society. To input this "lesson" into the story, it almost makes it seem like this is ok to do. Perhaps the author was going off of how a 7 year old thinks, but I think there can be better intentions to how the ending can be delivered.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2025
Karen and her friends decide they want to be like big girls and have their first sleepover. Karen gets help from her sister Kristy in planning what to do and decorating. She invites all the girls in her class but the invite to Nancy, one of her best friends, is slow to arrive and Nancy accuses her of not inviting her. The slow mail causes all sorts of drama and so does the arrival of Pamela, a new girl in the class who is fancy. All the girls want to be friends with the cool new girl so Karen invites her to the sleepover, but Pamela does things like demand to sleep in a bed while everyone else is in sleeping bags on the floor. Will the sleepover be any fun?
Though Pamela was being a bit of a snob and said some rather unkind things and wasn’t super nice, I wish Karen had treated her with a little more compassion. I didn’t like how she and the other girls pretty much just said good riddance when she left early and didn’t try to understand why she was maybe different or more demanding (she had just moved after all). That said, it is probably realistic. The book does say they are 7 so how mature do you really expect them to be? I would have liked for Kristy or someone to step in and say something about yes, it is ok to feel more relaxed without challenging people around but maybe have a dash of compassion (doesn’t mean Karen has to invite her next time). Oh well. It’s ok. The timing of the blackout with their “scary story” time was humorous.
Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: None
Ethnic diversity: The girls in the class have a variety of skin tones and one wears a head scarf.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified.
Other: Some unkind comments, most of which are resolved but the ones Pamela says aren’t quite resolved.
Though Pamela was being a bit of a snob and said some rather unkind things and wasn’t super nice, I wish Karen had treated her with a little more compassion. I didn’t like how she and the other girls pretty much just said good riddance when she left early and didn’t try to understand why she was maybe different or more demanding (she had just moved after all). That said, it is probably realistic. The book does say they are 7 so how mature do you really expect them to be? I would have liked for Kristy or someone to step in and say something about yes, it is ok to feel more relaxed without challenging people around but maybe have a dash of compassion (doesn’t mean Karen has to invite her next time). Oh well. It’s ok. The timing of the blackout with their “scary story” time was humorous.
Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: None
Ethnic diversity: The girls in the class have a variety of skin tones and one wears a head scarf.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified.
Other: Some unkind comments, most of which are resolved but the ones Pamela says aren’t quite resolved.
August 30, 2024
This is another book I read as a kid. In this one, I was really frustrated with Nancy who thought Karen didn’t send her an invite (even though Karen said she did and there was no reason for Karen not to send her one), then she ‘tattles’ on Karen and gets her in trouble. Then, what do you know, the invitation comes the next day and Nancy is all excited and apologetic. I kind of understood why Karen chose to uninvite Nancy. She was being pretty unreasonable. It was fun to see what happens at the sleepover and I forgot about Pamela and how much of a mean girl she turned out to be. Girl, do you forget that you’re seven too? This one was good but some of these fights Karen and her friends have are so dumb that it frustrates me more than anything else. However, if they’ve made the Three Musketeers pact, does that mean we’re reaching a new era where they stop fighting in every book? Guess we’ll have to wait and see!
June 22, 2024
Not the target audience by a longshot. Not my favorite of the LS graphic novels. Is it because I'm ticked that Pamela is now a redhead when Nancy was denied her rightful redhair? Maybe. I mean making the villain of the series a redhead was certainly a choice. I feel like Karen herself would understand my annoyance at the changes there.
Storywise, it's yet another round of Karen fights with her friend, although they do comment on just how common this is, and this time it's Karen vs Nancy instead of Karen vs Hannie which is a bit of a shakeup. Also, apparently Nancy fights dirty, which I appreciate as an adult.
This one just didn't do much for me. Not sure if it's one that I'll like better re-reading later or if my dislike of the fight (it's so, so stupid) means this is always gonna be at best a meh for me.
Storywise, it's yet another round of Karen fights with her friend, although they do comment on just how common this is, and this time it's Karen vs Nancy instead of Karen vs Hannie which is a bit of a shakeup. Also, apparently Nancy fights dirty, which I appreciate as an adult.
This one just didn't do much for me. Not sure if it's one that I'll like better re-reading later or if my dislike of the fight (it's so, so stupid) means this is always gonna be at best a meh for me.
June 24, 2024
As usual, these are just fun nostalgia for me, although I'm not sure I ever read much into the little sister series so I don't remember this one.
For this one I thought the way Pamela was being a snobby little shit and the other girls just said that was the "real" her and wrote her off as a bad person was a pretty shallow way of handling it. There are definitely other parts of the BSC series where the girls can be quite cliquey and judgemental to those outside their friend group too. I like the message of the strength of friendship but I'm not a fan of encouraging kids to other those outside their cliques / friend groups.
For this one I thought the way Pamela was being a snobby little shit and the other girls just said that was the "real" her and wrote her off as a bad person was a pretty shallow way of handling it. There are definitely other parts of the BSC series where the girls can be quite cliquey and judgemental to those outside their friend group too. I like the message of the strength of friendship but I'm not a fan of encouraging kids to other those outside their cliques / friend groups.
Read
June 30, 2024My child gave this to me when we were at the library and said: this looks like something you would enjoy. So of course I had to honor that. (We like the Netflix series and I appreciate graphic novels.)
This is a graphic novel of one of the original Ann M. Martin books, told from the perspective of Kristy's younger sister, Karen. It's well done and an accessible self read, or read-aloud, for elementary schoolers.
This is a graphic novel of one of the original Ann M. Martin books, told from the perspective of Kristy's younger sister, Karen. It's well done and an accessible self read, or read-aloud, for elementary schoolers.
June 30, 2024
karen has never ever had a sleepover but when she asked her dad and her stepmom said yes! karen is inviting all the girls in her class but a few days later a new girl comes and is SO cool well Karen thought so. when Karen invites her to the sleepover to the new girl answered by a normal "sure". after that Karen and her friend got into a fight and her friend got Karen in trouble in class and Karen was mad at her and decided to univite her. i would definitely read this again. good bye humans
December 19, 2025
Karen is having a sleepover and has invited all the girls in her class. But when Nancy and her get into a fight, Karen's party isn't as fun especially with the new girl who thinks she's better than everyone else. Will Karen and Nancy ever be able to be friends again?
Reading this brought back memories of past BFF fights of my own. Girls almost always have some sort of drama and this was a good example of one that works it's way out.
Reading this brought back memories of past BFF fights of my own. Girls almost always have some sort of drama and this was a good example of one that works it's way out.
May 5, 2024
One of my favourite Little Sister books (but I'm sure I say that every time), I was gigundoly excited to see this adapted as a graphic novel. It's fun, it's cute, Pamela is so cool (but such a snob) and I loved every second of it. These graphic novels are just such a delight!
July 3, 2024
3 stars (I liked it)
This was cute. Karen doesn't seem as bratty as she does in some of the other books. She still is young and makes mistakes but she is more likeable in this one. I definitely think my younger students will enjoy reading about Karen's first sleepover. The book also tackles fights with friends and how to make up.
This was cute. Karen doesn't seem as bratty as she does in some of the other books. She still is young and makes mistakes but she is more likeable in this one. I definitely think my younger students will enjoy reading about Karen's first sleepover. The book also tackles fights with friends and how to make up.
August 9, 2025
Karen decides to host a sleepover, but after a invitation mishap, one of her best friends is not invited. Karen invites a snooty new girl in school who is a real party pooper where the sleepover survive this nasty girl? This book was fine, but once again, a very quick read, but not a lot of substance.
Read
June 17, 2024I love a good sleepover story and this hit all the right notes. Pizza, cookies, pranks, ghost stories, and a perfectly timed power outage. *chef's kiss* Also, what is it about these graphic novels that make Karen Brewer...likeable? What is happening?!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews