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The Mutantsitters Club
Effie is one of the few humans living on an island full of mutants. After a prank goes horribly wrong, they work off their debt by looking after children with powers. And then they get a job taking care of the most famous children in all of Mutopia. Now they're missing, and Effie has to help find then. It'll be a dangerous journey facing wolves, evil mutants, imprisonment, and nightmares.
Not to mention the scariest part of all - talking to their crush.
Effie has no powers. Can they really save the day?
"Full of action, fast-paced adventure, lovable characters, and queer job, THE MUTANTSITTERS CLUB is an absolute delight of a read."
Christina Li, author of CLUES TO THE UNIVERSE
"Set in a post-war society where utopic ideals are juxtaposed with echoes of bigotry, The Mutantsitters Club captures the same diversity and punk energy as Whitby's original YA series, combined with a softer voice and hilarious middle grade hijinx. With complex worldbuilding and energetic plot, Whitby trailblazes themes of community, bravery, and identity through the eyes of a non-mutant nonbinary main character living in a world of supernaturally gifted peers. The young mutants in your life will enjoy this heartfelt romp!"
Ash van Otterloo, author of CATTYWAMPUS and A TOUCH OF RUCKUS
Not to mention the scariest part of all - talking to their crush.
Effie has no powers. Can they really save the day?
"Full of action, fast-paced adventure, lovable characters, and queer job, THE MUTANTSITTERS CLUB is an absolute delight of a read."
Christina Li, author of CLUES TO THE UNIVERSE
"Set in a post-war society where utopic ideals are juxtaposed with echoes of bigotry, The Mutantsitters Club captures the same diversity and punk energy as Whitby's original YA series, combined with a softer voice and hilarious middle grade hijinx. With complex worldbuilding and energetic plot, Whitby trailblazes themes of community, bravery, and identity through the eyes of a non-mutant nonbinary main character living in a world of supernaturally gifted peers. The young mutants in your life will enjoy this heartfelt romp!"
Ash van Otterloo, author of CATTYWAMPUS and A TOUCH OF RUCKUS
192 pages, ebook
Published April 19, 2022
44 people want to read
About the author
S.J. Whitby
18 books138 followersSJ Whitby lives in New Zealand with their partner, as well as various children and animals. They are predictably obsessed with X-Men and spend too much of their free time writing.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
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May 11, 2022I read an earlier version of The Mutantsitters Club and I ADORE it so much!!! It’s very exciting, and all the kids are just the sweetest. 😭
August 1, 2022
Loved Whitby's middle grade debut!!
June 25, 2022
This book was just what I needed right now, and especially today.
Note: This book takes place after the conclusion of the Cute Mutants series. If you haven't finished the original series, don't read this unless you're okay with spoilers!
This review may also contain spoilers for the original series.
tl;dr because this whole review might be either gibberish or like pulling teeth, because we're on the struggle bus today: lovable characters; tough topics but message of hope and friendship/teamwork; voicey and fun
As with the original series, SJ Whitby's debut middle-grade doesn't shy away from hard topics, like Effie - a child - having to protect their family during the Dark Year, childhood trauma, bigotry, and bullying. The characters are so well-written, and I love all of them (especially Dopple and Cammie, who are my children now, sorry SJ but I have custody, and also custody of the dads, never mind that they're full-grown people). Although Effie gets their big moment (as they should!), the overall impression - as with the original series - is that friendship and teamwork are necessary and important, especially when facing insurmountable odds or something/someone far too powerful for a single person, be it an individual villain or a villainous institution.
do you see why I needed this book today
I also like that
This book also has that great Cute Mutants voice you know and love...just with way less swearing, because middle-grades.
Anyway I feel like I'm not actually saying anything, but I loved this book so much and I sincerely hope I get more middle-grades standalones (or at least a collection of loosely related, read-in-any-order series books like The Babysitters Club) from this author.
Note: This book takes place after the conclusion of the Cute Mutants series. If you haven't finished the original series, don't read this unless you're okay with spoilers!
This review may also contain spoilers for the original series.
tl;dr because this whole review might be either gibberish or like pulling teeth, because we're on the struggle bus today: lovable characters; tough topics but message of hope and friendship/teamwork; voicey and fun
As with the original series, SJ Whitby's debut middle-grade doesn't shy away from hard topics, like Effie - a child - having to protect their family during the Dark Year, childhood trauma, bigotry, and bullying. The characters are so well-written, and I love all of them (especially Dopple and Cammie, who are my children now, sorry SJ but I have custody, and also custody of the dads, never mind that they're full-grown people). Although Effie gets their big moment (as they should!), the overall impression - as with the original series - is that friendship and teamwork are necessary and important, especially when facing insurmountable odds or something/someone far too powerful for a single person, be it an individual villain or a villainous institution.
I also like that
This book also has that great Cute Mutants voice you know and love...just with way less swearing, because middle-grades.
Anyway I feel like I'm not actually saying anything, but I loved this book so much and I sincerely hope I get more middle-grades standalones (or at least a collection of loosely related, read-in-any-order series books like The Babysitters Club) from this author.
May 26, 2022
THE MUTANTSITTERS CLUB is an absolute joy to read. It has action, amazing characters, incredible representation, and is such a fun time. The voice is so strong, and Effie is a wonderful (perhaps unlikely) hero and protagonist that is impossible not to like. I was laughing (especially with the amazing chapter titles), I was at the edge of my seat, and I became an instant fan of the Mutantverse and all the distinct and delightful characters involved.
I absolutely recommend, and will forever talk about my faves (and book children), Willow and Soo-yeon. A great MG book that works as a standalone, but will also likely have to ready to read everything else S.J. Whitby writes!
I absolutely recommend, and will forever talk about my faves (and book children), Willow and Soo-yeon. A great MG book that works as a standalone, but will also likely have to ready to read everything else S.J. Whitby writes!
July 31, 2022
Another great addition to the Cute Mutants Universe.
The Mutantsitters Club is a spin-off/continuation from the main CM series, and returns us to the island nation of Mutopia. The story follows one of the few powerless humans living on the island, as they and their friends (and one enemy) find themselves stuck with the unenviable job of babysitting mutant children as a form of community service. Everything goes well for a while until two kids go missing- and they happen to be the children of CM founders Chatterbox and Marvelous. That means it's up to a ragtag bunch of mutant teens and one non-mutant to find them, and quite possibly save the world. No pressure.
I already love the Cute Mutants series, and this book keeps that love going. While it is shorter and not nearly as heart-wrenching as other books in the universe, it is quick, enjoyable, and has the same sort of lovable characters Whitby has made in previous books. A whole new bunch of mutants to follow, some fun interpersonal relationships, and even some worldbuilding to boot. The fact that the main character is a human makes it interesting, as they have to find ways to save the day without having access to any superpowers, proving that even in the CM universe, it's not the powers that make the heroes, but who they are inside.
If you've read the other CM books, you're gonna read this too. And if you haven't, get on it. A great addition to a great series.
The Mutantsitters Club is a spin-off/continuation from the main CM series, and returns us to the island nation of Mutopia. The story follows one of the few powerless humans living on the island, as they and their friends (and one enemy) find themselves stuck with the unenviable job of babysitting mutant children as a form of community service. Everything goes well for a while until two kids go missing- and they happen to be the children of CM founders Chatterbox and Marvelous. That means it's up to a ragtag bunch of mutant teens and one non-mutant to find them, and quite possibly save the world. No pressure.
I already love the Cute Mutants series, and this book keeps that love going. While it is shorter and not nearly as heart-wrenching as other books in the universe, it is quick, enjoyable, and has the same sort of lovable characters Whitby has made in previous books. A whole new bunch of mutants to follow, some fun interpersonal relationships, and even some worldbuilding to boot. The fact that the main character is a human makes it interesting, as they have to find ways to save the day without having access to any superpowers, proving that even in the CM universe, it's not the powers that make the heroes, but who they are inside.
If you've read the other CM books, you're gonna read this too. And if you haven't, get on it. A great addition to a great series.
July 8, 2022
The Mutantsitters Club is a spin-off of the Cute Mutants series, and takes place after the events of Volume 5. However, this is probably the book that suits itself the best to being read without having read the previous ones, because of the switch in perspective to different characters and the established context.
It's also a middlegrade book as opposed to the original series. Not having read many books within in this age category I can't really judge how well it fits, but i would definitely recommend reading over the included content warnings at the beginning.
Now to what i liked and didn't like (as much) about the book:
+New characters, with their own relationship dynamics and personalities
+New superpowers being explored
+The overall theme of belonging and fitting in
-Still a focus around the original crew shining through
~The characters read a little younger than the established 14? (this could be a me thing tho)
It's also a middlegrade book as opposed to the original series. Not having read many books within in this age category I can't really judge how well it fits, but i would definitely recommend reading over the included content warnings at the beginning.
Now to what i liked and didn't like (as much) about the book:
+New characters, with their own relationship dynamics and personalities
+New superpowers being explored
+The overall theme of belonging and fitting in
-Still a focus around the original crew shining through
~The characters read a little younger than the established 14? (this could be a me thing tho)
December 10, 2022
Set in a post-war society where utopic ideals are juxtaposed with echoes of bigotry, The Mutantsitters Club captures the same diversity and punk energy as Whitby's original YA series, combined with a softer voice and hilarious middle grade hijinx. With complex worldbuilding and energetic plot, Whitby trailblazes themes of community, bravery, and identity through the eyes of a non-mutant nonbinary main character living in a world of supernaturally gifted peers. The young mutants in your life will enjoy this heartfelt romp!
April 21, 2022
lovely combination of fluff and terf busting
Love the expansion of the world. Love how the dads decided to go about gender and names. Love how soft everything is. Enjoy the slight change in target audience for the series and how well it suits this book.
Love the expansion of the world. Love how the dads decided to go about gender and names. Love how soft everything is. Enjoy the slight change in target audience for the series and how well it suits this book.
August 5, 2022
A great addition
Honestly I love the side stories for mutopia and this one is no exception. I'd love to see more of Effie, Cammie, Kel and Deadshot in the future. My only complaint would be that Dopple felt very much like a mute background filler for a lot of it.
Honestly I love the side stories for mutopia and this one is no exception. I'd love to see more of Effie, Cammie, Kel and Deadshot in the future. My only complaint would be that Dopple felt very much like a mute background filler for a lot of it.
April 27, 2023
The Mutantsitters Club by SJ Whitby is a standalone book in their Cute Mutants Series and take place after the events of Cute Mutants #5. This entry follows a new cast of characters with Effie as the POV character. They are nonbinary and one of the few humans on Mutopia. Effie longs to be a mutant, going as far as asking Cybele, the spirit of the Earth who created mutants, to grant them powers.
Effie is bullied by Deadshot and her friends for being a “Baseline,” a derogatory term for humans. And it’s this conflict between Deadshot, Effie, and their friend groups that leads to them destroying a local store and having to do community service as punishment, in the form of babysitting.
And it’s on one such babysitting job that they are tasked with watching Dylan and Dani’s children, Willow and Soo-yeon, twin plant creature who are as insidiously cunning as they are innocent looking.
While watching them, Effie, her friends, and Deadshot lose track of the twins and set out to find them, only to be captured by a group of rogue mutants and their supervillain in training leader, Raven, who can control minds.
My main issues with this book were that Effie and the other characters were flat to me. Outside of one of two traits they had no personality at all and underwent zero character development. I also thought the romance subplots were as predictable as they were pointless and added nothing to the story.
Also, the central conflict in the story could have been solved much sooner had they just told the adults what happened. Moreover, the ending was rushed, and I felt the characters didn’t earn it.
This was a quick read and free from typos and formatting issues, and I did like Effie’s sense of humor, though this lacked the spark that the first entries in the series had.
My overall, opinion is this read more like a first or second draft than a finished book. I give The Mutantsitters Club 3.0 stars out of 5.00. I only recommend reading this if you’re a die-hard SJ Whitby fan. Otherwise, skip it or get it when it’s on sale.
Effie is bullied by Deadshot and her friends for being a “Baseline,” a derogatory term for humans. And it’s this conflict between Deadshot, Effie, and their friend groups that leads to them destroying a local store and having to do community service as punishment, in the form of babysitting.
And it’s on one such babysitting job that they are tasked with watching Dylan and Dani’s children, Willow and Soo-yeon, twin plant creature who are as insidiously cunning as they are innocent looking.
While watching them, Effie, her friends, and Deadshot lose track of the twins and set out to find them, only to be captured by a group of rogue mutants and their supervillain in training leader, Raven, who can control minds.
My main issues with this book were that Effie and the other characters were flat to me. Outside of one of two traits they had no personality at all and underwent zero character development. I also thought the romance subplots were as predictable as they were pointless and added nothing to the story.
Also, the central conflict in the story could have been solved much sooner had they just told the adults what happened. Moreover, the ending was rushed, and I felt the characters didn’t earn it.
This was a quick read and free from typos and formatting issues, and I did like Effie’s sense of humor, though this lacked the spark that the first entries in the series had.
My overall, opinion is this read more like a first or second draft than a finished book. I give The Mutantsitters Club 3.0 stars out of 5.00. I only recommend reading this if you’re a die-hard SJ Whitby fan. Otherwise, skip it or get it when it’s on sale.
July 14, 2022
3.5 rounded to 4
TW: prejudice, discrimination, bullying, misgendering, trauma
TW: prejudice, discrimination, bullying, misgendering, trauma
April 21, 2022
The latest book in the Cute Mutants universe and it was so good!! From all of the 'spin-offs' set in this universe, it's my favorite so far. The friendship between the characters is so cute, the queer rep is amazing (as usual) and the villain was so dangerous.
A must read for everyone who's a fan of the Cute Mutants books!!
A must read for everyone who's a fan of the Cute Mutants books!!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews