The Baby-Sitters Club Graphix#04: Claudia And Mean Janine

The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novels #4

by Ann M. Martin

Claudia and her sister, Janine, may as well be from two different planets. Claudia, who pays more attention to her artwork and The Baby-sitters Club than her homework, feels like she can't compete with her perfect sister. Janine studies nonstop, gets straight As, and even takes college-level courses! But when something unexpected happens to the most beloved person in their family, will the sisters be able to put aside their differences?

Raina Telgemeier, using the signature style featured in her acclaimed graphic novels Smile and Sisters, perfectly captures all the drama and charm of the original novel!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Comics, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult

Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Ann 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...

Reviews

[Kate]

I read this while standing in an aisle at B&N and now I want them all. The whole series. For me. My kids can borrow them if they're nice.

[Prabhjot Kaur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claudia feels she is not smart enough as compared to her older sister, Janine. Claudia likes art and crafts and painting whilst Janine likes Maths, computer and science. Their grandmother, Mimi tries to play the buffer between them but then she has a stroke. Mimi wakes up but she has to have therapy to recover properly.

Meanwhile, summer vacation is starting and Kristy comes up with an idea for the summer holidays and how they can make extra money as well as help out the neighborhood kids with play activities. Kristy feels a little left out due to the newest member of the baby-sitters club until they spend time with each other and have fun. Also, Claudia helps out with Mimi's therapy and she makes up with her sister as well.

This was another cute graphic novel with such an amazing story about friendship and family. I loved the illustrations as usual for this series.

4.5 stars

[Prabhjot Kaur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claudia feels she is not smart enough as compared to her older sister, Janine. Claudia likes art and crafts and painting whilst Janine likes Maths, computer and science. Their grandmother, Mimi tries to play the buffer between them but then she has a stroke. Mimi wakes up but she has to have therapy to recover properly.

Meanwhile, summer vacation is starting and Kristy comes up with an idea for the summer holidays and how they can make extra money as well as help out the neighborhood kids with play activities. Kristy feels a little left out due to the newest member of the baby-sitters club until they spend time with each other and have fun. Also, Claudia helps out with Mimi's therapy and she makes up with her sister as well.

This was another cute graphic novel with such an amazing story about friendship and family. I loved the illustrations as usual for this series.

4.5 stars

[Gabrielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

awww this last one was so heartwarming definitely my favorite in the series and one of my favorite graphic novels ever!! Everyone read this series!!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another BSC club on the shelf. Back in my day, I always wanted to be the Claudia, the cool artist with multi-colored hair who hid candy in her closet. I also empathized with her the most because of her bossy older sister drama.

*If one of my sisters is reading this, I’m not talking about you. I’m talking about the other one. 😊

I forgot how many sensitive issues this series delved into, like stroke recovery. Claudia’s grandmother has a stroke and the book goes into detail about the recovery process. It’s really well done too. The books always circle back to a lesson learned but they don’t feel preachy. On to the next one!

[ChrissiesPurpleLibrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great! I especially loved the story between Claudia and Jeanie. The aspects of sisterhood, family expectations and how that can be difficult to navigate. Also, as an adult I saw how interesting it was to see the adults in this story navigate their own dynamics. It was refereshing and insightful.

[Emma]

This is *technically* not high quality literature but I was sick today, and I wanted to meet my reading goal. Plus my sister has the entire series, and this is SO cute. I finished it one sitting (of course) and I now I have an extra book towards my goal.

[tasia (‘you die, i die’ ver.) 𝜗𝜚 · Rating 4 out of 5]

why can’t family problems just go away like this?? and why can’t I be a kid anymore?

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So darn cute!!!! I love how each of the books have little lessons in them.

The illustrations are so perfect and they are adapted well without losing vital pieces to the story.

I always loved Mimi. She was so sweet to Claudia.

[Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the original first baby sitters club book, so when I got this i was very excited. When i read this, i read it in 2 hours, loving it so much. I bet you will enjoy it as much as i did.

[Mehsi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twee zussen, constante ruzie. En natuurlijk veel babysitten, vriendschap, en nog veel meer.

Ik had deze al eens eerder in mijn handen gehad maar toen besloten dat ik hem toch niet wilde lezen. Nu wens ik eigenlijk dat ik de mij van zaterdag, ook had kunnen overtuigen om dit boek te laten liggen.

Want tja, het was niet zo goed als ik had gehoopt. Zoals dat het best ongeloofwaardig is dat iemand, op haar 13de, niet eens weet hoe de tafels werken en denkt dat 7x6 13 is... Kom op. Ik weet niet wanneer je daar tafels leert (in Amerika), maar hier is dat groep 4 (zo 7/8 jaar). Dus ik zie niet in hoe ze nou niet eens de basis weet. Zelfs ik, hopeloos in wiskunde/rekenen, kan de tafels.

Plus ik vond het hele gedoe tussen de zussen enorm frustrerend en urgh. Ik zag er gewoon niet in waarom ze nou zo moeilijk deden. Het duurde echt veel te lang, en had ook wat extra boem blijkbaar nodig voordat deze twee eens gingen praten. En er dan achterkwamen dat misschien ze toch niet zo verschillend zijn. En misschien is het ook wel omdat ik geen zussen/broers heb, en is dit gewoon normaal. Maar sorry, ik vond het niet normaal. Heel wat van dat gedoe had voorkomen kunnen worden als iedereen gewoon eens ging praten met elkaar.

Ik vond het ook dom dat die ouders zoveel meer gaven om het slimme kind. En niet eens keken naar waar Claudia wel goed in was. Of haar misschien wat meer hulp gingen bieden. Kom op, dit helpt echt niet bij betere cijfers krijgen, het enige wat je wel krijgt is een kind dat totaal onzeker wordt.

En dan zijn er ook nog andere dingen, zoals het doopgebeuren (en ik vond het enerzijds wel een beetje vreemd hoe dat kindje van URGH zusje naar OMG zusje ging) en Mimi die zwaar ziek wordt. Het Mimi stuk was nog wel het beste, arme Mimi. :( Heel heftig op punten, en ik kan me voorstellen dat ze boos is op van alles. Ik zou ook boos zijn als ik weer alles moet leren. Woorden die je gewoon moet kennen, waar je maar niet opkomt.

De art was wel het beste ding van het hele boek. Maar ja, Raina Telgemeier, die kan gewoon alleen maar geweldige dingen tekenen. <3

Dus ja, niet mijn kopje thee en dat terwijl ik normaal wel van de boeken hou.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Kris (My Novelesque Life) · Rating 4 out of 5]

RATING: 4 STARS
(Review Not on Blog)

As a kid I LOVED the Baby-Sitters Club and would often spend hours scouring the library for the next title. Honestly, I probably read the series longer than I should have (reading level-wise), but it always felt like visiting friends. While I have never wanted to be a babysitter, I loved the club idea. As a bossy creative kid this was right up my alley. The friendships in this book was something I had always wanted. This was a series I grew up with and was my favourite for a long time. Confession time, I may have had a bit of a crush on Logan.

I was working at the library and saw that this graphic novel come in while I checked material in. I was excited to see that Baby-Sitters Club was being introduced to another generation. I thumbed through the book and saw this was the same story with a few updates. While usually I am not a fan of updating original stories (as it gives us the time and place when something was first written), I was okay with this series being updated. Moving this novelized book into a graphic novel made it easier to accept new changes.

I would definitely recommend this one to those who once enjoyed reading BSC in the past. This is also great read for young girls between 9-12.

Awwww, Mimi. I love Claudia's grandmother, Mimi and also like Janine a lot. I like when we get glimpses of the Kishi family as it reminded me a bit of my own family. Like my own grandmother, Bibi. Another solid book.

[Diana Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots going on in this volume: Claudia's grandmother Mimi has a stroke, Claudia and her sister Janine aren't getting along, the BSC runs a summer playgroup, Jamie is jealous of his new sister Lucy... all combine for a great read. The issues adapted by Raina Telgemeier are my favorites of the graphic series.

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an awesome book it was kind of sad and I cried but it is an awesome story and I loved it because it shows an important lesson that you should always keep inside of you. So I gave this book 5 STARS!

[Kayla Charisse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Might be my favorite of the four I’ve read so far—I lost my grandmother earlier this year and the Mimi storyline hit extremely close to home. Love these adaptations and Raina Telgemeier’s style so much.

[Ashley Marie Lukosunas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am loving these graphic novels of The Babysitters Club! They were always a favorite of mine growing up and I love seeing the illustrations. It really brings them to life for me.

[Chaitra Nair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting with how bad sisters fight making us feel they hate each other to making us feel aww they love each other it's just neither of them are ready to express it... This one feels till now the most emotional kinda one... Loved it💓🧿

[Lia Strange · Rating 3 out of 5]

son lindos y todo, y hablan de cosas importantes pero no son mi tipo de libros/novelas grafica asi que el cuarto sera el ultimo que lea

[✨maddy✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like Claudia she's probably my favorite but Janine is just really annoying and I couldn't stand her Janine is a know-it-all and know it all's are really annoying in my opinion (depends)

[Rachel A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've enjoyed re-reading all the Babysitters Club books (or at least, all that are available) in graphic novel form, but this one really had the most impact. I remember reading the original Claudia and Mean Janine many years ago when the BSC was my favourite series, and it was always a book that stood out to me. It touches on so many sensitive but very relevant topics, especially sibling rivalry. I really liked how Raina Telgemeier succeeded in bringing Janine's character to life and really letting us see her struggle within the family, even when the focus of the story was on Claudia and her perspective.

I also loved how the book dealt with a very emotional topic for a younger audience. In this book, Claudia's grandmother Mimi suffers a stroke and initially loses all ability to speak or move. It is a pretty heavy topic for kids, and I remember it having a strong impact when I first read the original book as a kid. It is dealt with in a very age-appropriate way, and I like how it also tied into the Claudia-Janine conflict.

[Meepelous · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, a really hard hitting volume of BSC!

As someone who worked for a couple of years with older adults, I really appreciated the way that her grandmother's stroke was handled. Watching your loved ones get older, and feeling yourself getting older, is freaky - even to those of us in the adult world. But as per usual Martin and Telgemeier handle the lessons for readers (old and young) with great skill and maturity.

SHOWING rather then telling, and especially in this volume just being open to us about some of the darker places in life. Encouraging us to build bridges and understanding people who we might in conflict with.

The more technical aspects remain really solid, and even as a bit of an outside observer I'm looking forward to see where this series goes in 2017.

[anakdenesor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm following this series since the first book. Raina,very talented author who deliver good message thru her books. This book deliver a lot of messages about how important being close to a family, friendship, being able to tolerate with each other and how to deal with tantrum of younger kids. I love this book, because it capture the real scenarios in our real life.

[Theresa Grissom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really, really liked this series. I just finished all four books and the kids in my elementary library are loving these as well. The characters are relatable. Another winner from Raina Telgemeier!

[Sarri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Telgemeier jatkaa näitä mukavia Baby-sitters Club -sarjakuvaromaaneitaan. Yllätyn itsekin, kuinka kiva näitä on lukea.

[leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love The Baby-sitters Club books! There super fun! They’re also really easy and quick. 😁

[Reagan Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book because it is very relatable and interesting.

[Jaime | Bound by the Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite BSC so far 🥰

[Rishika Balakrishnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5/5)

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these sweet stories. It is a heart warming story of everyday life, the good and the bad told in a wonderful way.

[Madelyn Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. I read the first book and I really liked it. I thought that it was an accurate depiction of the actual Baby Sitters Club books by Anne M. Martin. When I was at the library, I decided to take this book out and just read the series a little out of order. It wasn't that this book was bad, I actually liked it. There were just a few things that didn't really go over well or just things I wanted to bring up.

1.) In the first book, the pictures were in color. This time, the pictures were in black and white. That was a bit disappointing when I opened the book up and saw that there was no color.

2.) The book was from Claudia's point of view. The last book was mostly in Kristy's point of view. It is not that it was bad the way that it was, but it took me a little bit to realize who was in the majority of the story.

I didn't have many issues with the book, just the lack of color was really bothering me. This book was about Claudia and mainly focused on her. The book took place over the summer. The Baby Sitters Club came up with a summer day camp program to watch some neighborhood kids. Also, Claudia deals with her sister, and her grandmother named Mimi who has a stroke. Claudia thinks that it is all her fault because she yelled at her. Throughout the book, Claudia really changes her views on her sister and her education. Overall, this is a good book, but I do prefer the first book over this one. Happy Reading!

-Madelyn