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The Baby-Sitter #4
The Babysitter IV
Don't live in the past. That's what they say. So Jenny's trying. Trying to forget all of the horrible baby-sitting experiences that landed her in the hospital last year. But now Jenny's in a new house. In a new neighborhood. And Jenny's new neighbor, Mrs. Warsaw, wants her to baby-sit.
Poor Jenny. If only she could "just say no" to sitting.
Because someone is watching Jenny. Waiting for her. Someone who hates baby-sitters. Someone who wants her... dead.
Poor Jenny. If only she could "just say no" to sitting.
Because someone is watching Jenny. Waiting for her. Someone who hates baby-sitters. Someone who wants her... dead.
160 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1995
22 people are currently reading
1467 people want to read
About the author
R.L. Stine
1,679 books18.7k followersRobert Lawrence Stine known as R. L. Stine and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American novelist and writer, well known for targeting younger audiences. Stine, who is often called the Stephen King of children's literature, is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room and Fear Street series.
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
September 7, 2021
Just like many horror franchises this mini-series really outstays it’s welcome, definitely a case of diminishing returns as yet again Jenny puts herself in the same situation as the previous books...
One of the things that I like about Point Horror is the anthology feel to the series with numerous writers and individual stories (admittedly some are ripping off well known movies), but to have three sequels to The Baby-Sitter is just baffling!
Most of the ‘scares’ were reminiscent of Goosebumps and this just felt lazy.
I do wonder if certain authors sold more copies than other and this was just a way to get another Stine book on the shelf...
One of the things that I like about Point Horror is the anthology feel to the series with numerous writers and individual stories (admittedly some are ripping off well known movies), but to have three sequels to The Baby-Sitter is just baffling!
Most of the ‘scares’ were reminiscent of Goosebumps and this just felt lazy.
I do wonder if certain authors sold more copies than other and this was just a way to get another Stine book on the shelf...
October 13, 2020
So, I’m back to see if Jenny finally got an answering machine. At this point it feels like I’m a glutton for punishment. This series really should have finished three books ago.
Jenny has just been released from hospital, where she’s been during the entire year since the events of the third book. Dr Schindler has been replaced with Dr Simonson. Fair enough, really. Dr Schindler, nice guy that he seemed to be, hadn’t exactly helped Jenny transform into a success story.
Yeah, okay. There were five whole paragraphs between that declaration and the next time Jenny is scared so she’s making progress. Sort of.
Naturally Jenny can’t say ‘no’ to a babysitting gig.
So, how was Jenny receiving the threatening messages in this book?
So, we’ve finally made it to the end of the series. Has Jenny learned any valuable life lessons from her adventures in babysitting and years of therapy?
My verdict? I enjoyed listening to Jenny scream in the first book. It was a fun blast from the past, although I can’t believe I ever thought it was scary. I probably could have done without watching the series devolve though.
And she still doesn’t have an answering machine!
Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com
Jenny has just been released from hospital, where she’s been during the entire year since the events of the third book. Dr Schindler has been replaced with Dr Simonson. Fair enough, really. Dr Schindler, nice guy that he seemed to be, hadn’t exactly helped Jenny transform into a success story.
“I’m not afraid of anything now.”Well, Jenny, let’s just see about that.
Yeah, okay. There were five whole paragraphs between that declaration and the next time Jenny is scared so she’s making progress. Sort of.
Naturally Jenny can’t say ‘no’ to a babysitting gig.
“Go away now, Jenny. Go away, or you’ll die, too.”It’s weird; I don’t remember a single instance in this book where Jenny answered a creepy phone call. Considering those phone calls were pretty much the entire reason this series existed, it didn’t feel right.
So, how was Jenny receiving the threatening messages in this book?
So, we’ve finally made it to the end of the series. Has Jenny learned any valuable life lessons from her adventures in babysitting and years of therapy?
“I might want to baby-sit again someday. It’s a lot more exciting than you think.”Oh, Jenny.
My verdict? I enjoyed listening to Jenny scream in the first book. It was a fun blast from the past, although I can’t believe I ever thought it was scary. I probably could have done without watching the series devolve though.
And she still doesn’t have an answering machine!
Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com
May 20, 2024
Like the previous three books, I wasn't a fan of The Babysitter IV. R.L. Stine does deviate from the copy-paste nature of the first three books slightly by making this somewhat of a haunted house story instead of the same old mind-numbing story where the babysitter keeps getting the same idiotic threatening phone calls while babysitting, but honestly other than changing the premise slightly this book is otherwise identical to the first three in every other conceivable way, resulting in this one being quite bad, just like the others.
Funny story: I read this while on vacation and actually ended up dumping it into a random trash bin in Europe when I was finished reading it, rather than taking it back with me and donating it, as I've come to be of the opinion that these books shouldn't exist and are uncommonly dreadful. So if I can prevent anyone else from reading at least this individual book at any point in the future, I'll feel I've made a positive difference in the world. Needless to say, I'm very glad to be done with this series. On to better reads :-)
Funny story: I read this while on vacation and actually ended up dumping it into a random trash bin in Europe when I was finished reading it, rather than taking it back with me and donating it, as I've come to be of the opinion that these books shouldn't exist and are uncommonly dreadful. So if I can prevent anyone else from reading at least this individual book at any point in the future, I'll feel I've made a positive difference in the world. Needless to say, I'm very glad to be done with this series. On to better reads :-)
December 16, 2016
This one turns out to be a ghost story without any sort of forewarning that it is a supernatural tale! Cheap and lazy! Unfortunately, it's a trick R.L. Stine has been pulling for a while now. What's next? Jenny babysitting in space?
By this stage, it's no longer believable that Jenny still accepts babysitting jobs. Prostitution would be less dangerous! Dreck like this is what killed the YA horror genre in the 90s.
By this stage, it's no longer believable that Jenny still accepts babysitting jobs. Prostitution would be less dangerous! Dreck like this is what killed the YA horror genre in the 90s.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 27, 2014
The rating I gave is pretty high because if you're a teen looking for a good creepy story, the whole Babysitter series is a fun one. When I was 13-14 I just drank these books. So much creepy fun!
March 3, 2024
Two stars may be a half a star too much but I can see a reason why this book might exist so if you haven't read any of these books...I'll explain but there may be some spoilers.
Who am I kidding? There will be at least the obvious spoilers.
Jenny was terrified and traumatized by Mr. Hagen, the man who tried to kill her, even after he accidentally died. He hated babysitters for the death of his child older than the little boy Jenny was paid to sit.
The experience gave her nightmares and others used it against Jenny until she did finally snap...hearing voices in her head. The voice of Mr. Hagen made Jenny think she was Hagen and she went after her own cousin.
The last book had Jenny getting help by being admitted to a hospital since she didn't kill anyone and that really would have been a sad way to end it for a girl clearly troubled.
Maybe a downer would have been better than dragging the story out but at least it went in a direction no one could even consider...except for Stine of course. Money had to be involved too...
A year later, Jenny is better thanks to a new therapist and back home with her mother. They live in a new house and in a different neighborhood but Jenny still has her best friends, Rick and Claire, and even her boyfriend Cal didn't abandon her.
Her mother has a new job, left her gray hair behind and even dating a guy so Jenny's life seems to be spilling over to her supportive mother. Jenny doesn't need to baby-sit to earn money and it seems like she can just enjoy the summer sunshine with her friends.
Too bad that Jenny has new neighbors...a single widowed mother and her kids.
Mrs. Warsaw seems nice but there is a lot to do with being in a new home so she asks Jenny to sit with her kids for a few minutes but then needs a baby-sitter even more. Jenny's mom says she doesn't have to do this, more than willing to watch the kids instead, but Jenny is sure that all the horror is over.
Mr. Hagen is gone for good and can't hurt Jenny anymore...right?
A couple of twists but nothing mind blowing and there is absolutely no way you could come up with a Babysitter V to continue this story for Jenny. It would be ludicrous but never say never seems to be the par for books, movies and TV to push the limit.
One scene that does stand out but doesn't spoil much is Jenny remembering a girl who was in the hospital with her. Her name was Becca and she seemed to be better but then all of a sudden, she relapsed.
All set to go home until Jenny found her one day with the head of a teddy bear ripped off and the girl eating the inside cotton stuffing like it were popcorn.
Leave it to Stine to deliver me a scene that will now live forever in my mind that is both sad and disturbing as well as anything better than the rest of what The Babysitter IV provides.
Who am I kidding? There will be at least the obvious spoilers.
Jenny was terrified and traumatized by Mr. Hagen, the man who tried to kill her, even after he accidentally died. He hated babysitters for the death of his child older than the little boy Jenny was paid to sit.
The experience gave her nightmares and others used it against Jenny until she did finally snap...hearing voices in her head. The voice of Mr. Hagen made Jenny think she was Hagen and she went after her own cousin.
The last book had Jenny getting help by being admitted to a hospital since she didn't kill anyone and that really would have been a sad way to end it for a girl clearly troubled.
Maybe a downer would have been better than dragging the story out but at least it went in a direction no one could even consider...except for Stine of course. Money had to be involved too...
A year later, Jenny is better thanks to a new therapist and back home with her mother. They live in a new house and in a different neighborhood but Jenny still has her best friends, Rick and Claire, and even her boyfriend Cal didn't abandon her.
Her mother has a new job, left her gray hair behind and even dating a guy so Jenny's life seems to be spilling over to her supportive mother. Jenny doesn't need to baby-sit to earn money and it seems like she can just enjoy the summer sunshine with her friends.
Too bad that Jenny has new neighbors...a single widowed mother and her kids.
Mrs. Warsaw seems nice but there is a lot to do with being in a new home so she asks Jenny to sit with her kids for a few minutes but then needs a baby-sitter even more. Jenny's mom says she doesn't have to do this, more than willing to watch the kids instead, but Jenny is sure that all the horror is over.
Mr. Hagen is gone for good and can't hurt Jenny anymore...right?
A couple of twists but nothing mind blowing and there is absolutely no way you could come up with a Babysitter V to continue this story for Jenny. It would be ludicrous but never say never seems to be the par for books, movies and TV to push the limit.
One scene that does stand out but doesn't spoil much is Jenny remembering a girl who was in the hospital with her. Her name was Becca and she seemed to be better but then all of a sudden, she relapsed.
All set to go home until Jenny found her one day with the head of a teddy bear ripped off and the girl eating the inside cotton stuffing like it were popcorn.
Leave it to Stine to deliver me a scene that will now live forever in my mind that is both sad and disturbing as well as anything better than the rest of what The Babysitter IV provides.
August 18, 2020
The final book in this series started out strong, but then became “supernatural” towards the end. I don’t mind supernatural thrillers, but the other 3 books in this series were not supernatural.
I didn’t understand how a ghost could be locked in the attic, nor how they could “fight” and vanish. The ending seemed lazy and I was disappointed how the series ended.
I didn’t understand how a ghost could be locked in the attic, nor how they could “fight” and vanish. The ending seemed lazy and I was disappointed how the series ended.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2023
I have to say this is a pretty weak ending to The Babysitter series. First off, why WHY WHY is she still even accepting babysitting jobs? And after what happened to her in the last book... how... is she even allowed to be alone with children? Second, why the sudden shift into this supernatural approach when that has not been the style of the series at all? A little weak and lame to me. Nothing about this one seemed fresh or new... it seemed recycled... and this could have been a handful of books by Stine that I've already read. Nothing about it was "Babysitter"-esque. It had pretty cheap and ineffective "scares" that were just whispers most of the time. I am a big Goosebumps fan, but that's not the vibe I want when I read one of these YA thrillers he has.
Pretty sad it ended this way, but... better now than some even more ridiculous story for a Part 5 I guess.
Pretty sad it ended this way, but... better now than some even more ridiculous story for a Part 5 I guess.
October 13, 2019
***October reads 2019 #7***
This was the last book of the series, published in 1995.
After I finished this book, I had what I think is a good idea.
Next year will be 25 years since the last published book.
Wouldn't it be cool if R.L Stine put another book out in this series?
Jenny would be in her early forties, with a husband and children.
Its 25 years later; she's over what happened to her as a teen.
She's over it but will never forget.
Her daughter(s) are of babysitting age and something similar begins to happen.
Heck, maybe even her son is the babysitter and it starts happening to him.
I think I'll even contact Stine through Goodreads and ask him if he'd do it.
Anyway, This book started out good but towards the end....
I'm not sure what to think of the ghosts aspect.
I thought the ending was rushed and anti-climatic.
November 12, 2014
My favorite of this short series yet. (Very vague spoilers?) I may be biased in favor of Stine's horror, but I liked the supernatural aspects in this one. I felt this one was better written than the previous, keeping with the trend! Between the third and this one, he apparently wrote 12 other short novels. Improvement only makes sense! (actual spoiler) Glad Jenny's going to be okay now.
November 22, 2022
Not bad, at least it wasn't about Mr Hagen this time 🙄
December 6, 2024
This one took a left turn. Not where I expected it to go at all
January 19, 2025
This series taught me one thing - don’t babysit in a town where Bob L. Stine lives…
March 3, 2020
I mentioned in my Baby-Sitter III review that I remember the night my parents drove me up to Borders Books and Music to grab both this one and it's predecessor. Much like The Baby-Sitter III, I knew virtually nothing about the plot of The Baby-Sitter IV before finally starting this book. The hype surrounding it, though, was nothing but negative. I haven't come across a single person that thought I would enjoy this book. Hell, after the high of The Baby-Sitter III, even I didn't expect this series finale to live up to the rest of the books. The great tragedy of The Baby-Sitter IV is that it had the potential to be something really fun. Once I closed the book on this one, though, I found that the negativity was mostly well-earned.
In the conclusion to R.L. Stine's Baby-Sitter series, Jenny and her mother have moved to a different neighborhood about one year after the events of Baby-Sitter III. Jenny believes she is all better, and ready to move on, and stop being scared of everything. Her new neighbor happens to have kids, and when the mother needs to run out, she asks Jenny to babysit for a few minutes while she heads to the grocery store. Vowing never to be afraid again, she decides to do it. This kicks off a more permanent gig - and, yes, I said the same thing you're thinking: why in the hell do you keep taking babysitting jobs, Jenny?! - and it doesn't take long before she starts hearing things in the house that attempt to bring Jenny back to that state of fear she's known so well over the past few years.
It didn't take long for me to realize where this story was going, and though it is a completely different direction than the rest of the series, I was all-in. This is essentially The Baby-sitter's "in space" entry in the series that completely jumps the shark, and I was loving where things were going for about the first half of the book. The problem, though, is that the escalation of events happens so slowly, and eventually I was near the end, trying to figure out how in the world Stine would wrap things up so succinctly, while still providing a satisfying ending to the series. Turns out, he wasn't.
I have no evidence to support this as it is simply my own theory, but I really feel like Stine didn't expect to end the series with this fourth entry. There is no grand lesson that ties all of the books together thematically, and this ending is, I'd argue, even more rushed than the previous three books. It doesn't feel like we're spending our last moments with these characters, and that is a real shame. Mind you, I didn't need a "happily ever after" ending for Jenny, but I would have loved something that hinted at a future. Instead, the way the book ends gave me the idea that we would be visiting Jenny again for her next summer vacation, where she was sure to haphazardly take on yet another babysitting job, and again run into a once-in-a-lifetime scenario for the fifth time.
While I had an idea where things were going, I will admit that Stine did pull the wool over my eyes well-enough. It's one of those stories where I almost want to go back to the beginning, now having finished it, to see what I missed. The problem, though, is that even though Stine creates this interesting new world for Jenny to suffer through, the conclusion feels so half-baked and silly that it ruins most of what came before it. This feels like a novel that could have used an additional 30 or so pages to really make the journey worthwhile.
As a conclusion to The Baby-Sitter series, The Baby-Sitter IV falls short. I wouldn't recommend it as a stand-alone novel either because so much of our relationship with Jenny and her friends is based on having read the previous entries. I have been purposefully vague on what exactly this story is about because I loved going into it blind, and wouldn't want to ruin that for someone else. Because I had no idea where this would go, I was enjoying myself while reading it, for the most part. It's just a shame that it goes nowhere, and fails to satisfyingly wrap-up a series that I have grown to enjoy.
Is The Baby-Sitter IV worth reading? Well, if you've made it through the first three books, you might as well see it through to the end. Don't expect much, and maybe you'll have a bit of fun with it. I didn't hate this by any stretch, and the ride toward the reveal was fun enough, I just wanted more from it after spending so much time with Jenny and her friends. Stine doesn't reward his reader for seeing this story through to the end, and though he wasn't obliged to do that, of course, it still would have been nice.
Now that I've made it through this series, I do want to mention that Stine also wrote an adult novel that one might easily mistaken for a fifth book in this series. It is called The Sitter, and though it is also a thriller following a babysitter - well, more accurately, a nanny - it is not related to this young adult series. Still, maybe I should give that one a read at some point.
In the conclusion to R.L. Stine's Baby-Sitter series, Jenny and her mother have moved to a different neighborhood about one year after the events of Baby-Sitter III. Jenny believes she is all better, and ready to move on, and stop being scared of everything. Her new neighbor happens to have kids, and when the mother needs to run out, she asks Jenny to babysit for a few minutes while she heads to the grocery store. Vowing never to be afraid again, she decides to do it. This kicks off a more permanent gig - and, yes, I said the same thing you're thinking: why in the hell do you keep taking babysitting jobs, Jenny?! - and it doesn't take long before she starts hearing things in the house that attempt to bring Jenny back to that state of fear she's known so well over the past few years.
It didn't take long for me to realize where this story was going, and though it is a completely different direction than the rest of the series, I was all-in. This is essentially The Baby-sitter's "in space" entry in the series that completely jumps the shark, and I was loving where things were going for about the first half of the book. The problem, though, is that the escalation of events happens so slowly, and eventually I was near the end, trying to figure out how in the world Stine would wrap things up so succinctly, while still providing a satisfying ending to the series. Turns out, he wasn't.
I have no evidence to support this as it is simply my own theory, but I really feel like Stine didn't expect to end the series with this fourth entry. There is no grand lesson that ties all of the books together thematically, and this ending is, I'd argue, even more rushed than the previous three books. It doesn't feel like we're spending our last moments with these characters, and that is a real shame. Mind you, I didn't need a "happily ever after" ending for Jenny, but I would have loved something that hinted at a future. Instead, the way the book ends gave me the idea that we would be visiting Jenny again for her next summer vacation, where she was sure to haphazardly take on yet another babysitting job, and again run into a once-in-a-lifetime scenario for the fifth time.
While I had an idea where things were going, I will admit that Stine did pull the wool over my eyes well-enough. It's one of those stories where I almost want to go back to the beginning, now having finished it, to see what I missed. The problem, though, is that even though Stine creates this interesting new world for Jenny to suffer through, the conclusion feels so half-baked and silly that it ruins most of what came before it. This feels like a novel that could have used an additional 30 or so pages to really make the journey worthwhile.
As a conclusion to The Baby-Sitter series, The Baby-Sitter IV falls short. I wouldn't recommend it as a stand-alone novel either because so much of our relationship with Jenny and her friends is based on having read the previous entries. I have been purposefully vague on what exactly this story is about because I loved going into it blind, and wouldn't want to ruin that for someone else. Because I had no idea where this would go, I was enjoying myself while reading it, for the most part. It's just a shame that it goes nowhere, and fails to satisfyingly wrap-up a series that I have grown to enjoy.
Is The Baby-Sitter IV worth reading? Well, if you've made it through the first three books, you might as well see it through to the end. Don't expect much, and maybe you'll have a bit of fun with it. I didn't hate this by any stretch, and the ride toward the reveal was fun enough, I just wanted more from it after spending so much time with Jenny and her friends. Stine doesn't reward his reader for seeing this story through to the end, and though he wasn't obliged to do that, of course, it still would have been nice.
Now that I've made it through this series, I do want to mention that Stine also wrote an adult novel that one might easily mistaken for a fifth book in this series. It is called The Sitter, and though it is also a thriller following a babysitter - well, more accurately, a nanny - it is not related to this young adult series. Still, maybe I should give that one a read at some point.
October 5, 2020
Was pretty good
May 28, 2025
Girl, are you done babysitting now? because it is NOT for you.
January 25, 2022
Well this was an interesting reading experience. It still had some aspects of 90s goodness in terms of "watching a tape" (not a DVD, not streaming, etc.), but was also kinda modern, like Mrs. Warsaw having a dishwasher (I guess for more wealthy people that might have been normal back then, but we weren't wealthy so I can't relate :P).
It was a bit of a jarring departure from other books in the Baby-sitter series, since it was actually like the others had all been. I feel like maybe it took the series one book too far, and yet if you look at it on its own merit it's a pretty decent story. I just feel like it could have been a different story about a different character instead of Jenny.
I thought it was weird how Mrs. Warsaw introduced herself as "Mrs. Warsaw". Is that something people do, or did? Whenever I introduce myself to people, even children, I tell them my first name. How about you?!
In terms of who the baddie was, at various times I suspected a few different characters in the story, from Cal to Sean to Seth to Mrs. Warsaw and even Jenny's bestie Claire.
Well, I'm going to leave this here and be glad I'm done with the Baby-sitter series.
Below, my notes jotted down while reading the paperback:
It was a bit of a jarring departure from other books in the Baby-sitter series, since it was actually like the others had all been. I feel like maybe it took the series one book too far, and yet if you look at it on its own merit it's a pretty decent story. I just feel like it could have been a different story about a different character instead of Jenny.
I thought it was weird how Mrs. Warsaw introduced herself as "Mrs. Warsaw". Is that something people do, or did? Whenever I introduce myself to people, even children, I tell them my first name. How about you?!
In terms of who the baddie was, at various times I suspected a few different characters in the story, from Cal to Sean to Seth to Mrs. Warsaw and even Jenny's bestie Claire.
Well, I'm going to leave this here and be glad I'm done with the Baby-sitter series.
Below, my notes jotted down while reading the paperback:
October 12, 2016
Quote " I'm not crazy"
Jenny is your typical teenager but is kinda crazy. In the last book she got sent to the hospital cause they thought she was crazy when she though people were trying to kill her. I would probably too if I thought there where killers. Have a year in the hospital she's finally out. She free and no longer crazy. Or so she thought. When she moved to her new neighborhood that meant new house, neighbors, and problems. Her next door neighbor Ms.Warsaw has"three" kid Sean and Seth are twins and Meredith. When Mrs.Warsaw asked Jenny if she could she was going to turn down because that's went problems started when she was babysitting. But she didn't and she watched them and they cause no problems. Then the next night Mrs.Warsaw needed to go a party so she babysitter again. But something eerie was going on their. Their was sudden chills in the air. When the kids tried to give her cake she grabbed the knife. Then something really creep happens. The knife starts going to her. As if a invisible force was pulling it almost causing her to stab herself. Creepy right. Then later when she but the kids to bed she was washing dishes and turned the disposable on the invisible force came again and was pulling Jenny's hand and head into it. When I was reading this book by now I was on the edge of my seat. She finally went home at around 11. Her mom was asleep so she went up stairs and looked out her window. There she saw a little blond boy. She though maybe it was Sean or Seth. Then a scary howl that sounded like a wolves. When she look at the attic window of the Warsaw's she was something, a figure. It said the words help me! When she told her friend she though Jenny was going crazy again. She told Jenny's mom and her mom told her to stop going over there. I would have but she didn't. She absolutely refused to stop babysitting over their. That night was the weirdest of all. That chill came again but this time their was a voice (by the way these last chapter are my favorite). The voice said "you saw me Jenny now I have to kill u". She was petrified. And all she could do was run away. But it kept pulling her back. She finally fought it off. She ran to the bathroom and locked herself in. When she look in the mirror she saw Seth saying those horrible words. TheN the mirror breaks cutting her cause I got her to almost black out. Me. Warsaw came to save Jenny just in time. She brought her back home and Jenny told her everything. The next words that came out of Mrs.Warsaw's mouth were
"Oh you poor thing, I don't have twins"
So when everyone toes to bed and MrsWarsaw left Jenny went back over their. Seth explained to her what is going on. I loved this book tons. This book is of anyone that maybe does have a specific gene or love mystery/thriller books. This book is one of the crazies and it keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Jenny is your typical teenager but is kinda crazy. In the last book she got sent to the hospital cause they thought she was crazy when she though people were trying to kill her. I would probably too if I thought there where killers. Have a year in the hospital she's finally out. She free and no longer crazy. Or so she thought. When she moved to her new neighborhood that meant new house, neighbors, and problems. Her next door neighbor Ms.Warsaw has"three" kid Sean and Seth are twins and Meredith. When Mrs.Warsaw asked Jenny if she could she was going to turn down because that's went problems started when she was babysitting. But she didn't and she watched them and they cause no problems. Then the next night Mrs.Warsaw needed to go a party so she babysitter again. But something eerie was going on their. Their was sudden chills in the air. When the kids tried to give her cake she grabbed the knife. Then something really creep happens. The knife starts going to her. As if a invisible force was pulling it almost causing her to stab herself. Creepy right. Then later when she but the kids to bed she was washing dishes and turned the disposable on the invisible force came again and was pulling Jenny's hand and head into it. When I was reading this book by now I was on the edge of my seat. She finally went home at around 11. Her mom was asleep so she went up stairs and looked out her window. There she saw a little blond boy. She though maybe it was Sean or Seth. Then a scary howl that sounded like a wolves. When she look at the attic window of the Warsaw's she was something, a figure. It said the words help me! When she told her friend she though Jenny was going crazy again. She told Jenny's mom and her mom told her to stop going over there. I would have but she didn't. She absolutely refused to stop babysitting over their. That night was the weirdest of all. That chill came again but this time their was a voice (by the way these last chapter are my favorite). The voice said "you saw me Jenny now I have to kill u". She was petrified. And all she could do was run away. But it kept pulling her back. She finally fought it off. She ran to the bathroom and locked herself in. When she look in the mirror she saw Seth saying those horrible words. TheN the mirror breaks cutting her cause I got her to almost black out. Me. Warsaw came to save Jenny just in time. She brought her back home and Jenny told her everything. The next words that came out of Mrs.Warsaw's mouth were
"Oh you poor thing, I don't have twins"
So when everyone toes to bed and MrsWarsaw left Jenny went back over their. Seth explained to her what is going on. I loved this book tons. This book is of anyone that maybe does have a specific gene or love mystery/thriller books. This book is one of the crazies and it keeps you on the edge of your seat.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 10, 2019
Robot, please.
I read this for our podcast Teenage Scream, which dissects the best (and worst) of 90s Teen Horror.
https://soundcloud.com/teenagescream
I read this for our podcast Teenage Scream, which dissects the best (and worst) of 90s Teen Horror.
https://soundcloud.com/teenagescream
September 15, 2011
Most people either love this series, or they absolutely hate it, I come somewhere in between. I don't remember all of the books from this series that I've read but I do remember this one from the covers. What I was amazed at with this series was how much goosebumbs it gave me, but that's no surprise since R.L. Stine, the author of the famous children's "Goosebumbs" series made this other series for young people, "The Babysitter" into an amazing thriller. But sometimes it was just a bit too much for me to bear, which must be why I'm more a historical-fiction, comedy or fantasy person rather than a very thriller craving person. But even though this isn't my usual genre, I must compliment the author at doing his work amazingly well, which is why I can now understand why he has so many fans. The plot was very unpredictable which made it even more of a "horror type" and the whole way and style this series had (which I imagine must be R.L. Stine's style in all of his books) was still very, very impressive. I don't know why I'm not a big thriller person, but I think that one reason might be that I usually read books in the evening and when I read something scary it's usually night-time :) But for a person that doesn't like horror much this sure impressed me and kept me at the edge of my seat! I almost never pick books that are similar to this (especially with such characters, which believe me or not didn't bother me at all here) but I can't understand how I could stand reading more than one book from this series... I would recommend but don't read it after dark!
Interest level: Medium
Reading level: Medium-easy
Interest level: Medium
Reading level: Medium-easy
February 4, 2025
Oh my dear R.L., how you've wasted your talent. The Babysitter series had potential for greatness, but it mainly peaked in the second book, offering more absurdity in the final books of the series. R.L. pulled the rip cord on any attempts at a grounded plot and goes full on supernatural. Sigh. Why R.L.... why?
Jenny Jeffers is back from her year in the mental hospital. Recovered from the trauma of now dead Mr. Hagen's attempt to murder her (but surprisingly no leftover trauma from the attempted murder by a very much still alive dingbat secretary), Jenny is just trying to acclimate to life on the outside. Her friends Rick and Claire are back, along with her boyfriend Cal, and her mom, who finally seems on the upswing with a new job and man in her life.
Jenny Jeffers lives in a new home, and spends her days trying to relax and live a normal teenage life until she is approached by Mrs. Warsaw, a widower of twin boys and a girl. Mrs. Warsaw obtrusively asks complete stranger Jenny to watch her kids for 15 minutes, because hey, this is the 80s and trust in humanity is still kind of a thing.
Jenny likes the kids and finds enjoyment in babysitting Sean, Seth, and Meredith, although if you want my opinion that you didn't ask for, I would have tapped out from the fighting little monsters after one visit. But no, our Jenny is a natural.
Despite enjoying the kids, Jenny has a weird experience at the house of feeling supernatural coldness in the room. As she does in earlier books, she tries to talk herself down, but ultimately decides she's uncomfortable at the house. It's the first mental soundness we hear from Jenny, but will it last? No, of course not. Because in order for the plot to work, Jenny has to have resounding devotion to three unknown kids she's known all but 15 minutes and an allegiance to oddball Mrs. Warsaw over her own comfort.
This is how she winds up committing to the watch the kids again. And again. And with each visit, comes an escalation of oddities. More supernatural cold feelings. Creaking and footsteps in the attic, seeing a girl's face in the attic, and nightly runs of a little boy and howling animal in the middle of the night in her yard. Weird. And things... just get weirder. Because now, Jenny is hearing voices warning her of impending death, and finding herself near victim to a cake knife turning on her and a garbage disposal that wants to eat her arm. (At least no phone calls this time) Despite all this, and in the realm of dumb fiction, Jenny bottles this all up, only telling Claire (who betrays her trust and tells Ms. Jeffers) and stubbornly continuing to babysit, because she has a grotesque need to figure out what's going on and prove her sanity to ... herself?
And so, she babysits one final time (to the opposition of Ms. Jeffers) only to find the truth- sweet and kind twin Seth is actually a ghost that has been trying to kill Jenny. Yes, I know, you have a lot of questions, such as, how did Mrs. Warsaw and Jenny go the whole book without dialogue about twin Seth, or how does a ghost boy consume cake? Rest assured, my friends, none of your questions will be answered. So Jenny, loses her marbles, and throws a glass vase at a bathroom mirror in an attempt to destroy the reflection of Seth, cutting her self in the process, just as Mrs. Warsaw conveniently comes home. And of course, everyone is now on the "Jenny is crazy train," with Ms. Jeffers being especially concerned.
The book isn't done yet though. You see, proving her sanity (or insanity in my opinion) is really crucial here, which is why, when she sees the girl in the attic saying "Help Me," she decides to once and for all figure it out...and so, she sneaks into the house while Mrs. Warsaw and the kids are out, and lets the girl ghost out of attic, despite protests from Seth the ghost. We find out, despite contradictory accusations, that Seth was a boy who attempted to kill his babysitter, only to die himself in the process. And somehow this final culmination of ghost fighting leads to the final death of both ghosts. Cal and Ms. Jeffers come over just in time to miss all of this, but to find Jenny feeling mentally stable now that she has seen out the end of the horrors she's faced. (Cue the light-hearted ending joke about babysitting- palm slap)
Here's the real plot hole issue I have here, besides my disdain for the whole plot in general. We're given the impression, throughout the story, that the attic needs to stay locked. This is explained that Sean and Meredith knew what was going on with Seth and had an allegiance (through fear) to him. But are we to believe Mrs. Warsaw never opened the door to the attic? And why would Mrs. Warsaw be exempt from the supernatural occurrences of the house? If the kids aren't exempt, why would Mrs. Warsaw be? This is just one of many questions I have about this book.
Don't ask why, but I believed these books were building up for the return of Mr. Hagen. Heck, I could have even stood by a Mr. Hagen ghost revenge plot.
But no, sit back, relax and enjoy the menagerie of nonsense as the Babysitter series ends with an off the rails plot.
Jenny Jeffers is back from her year in the mental hospital. Recovered from the trauma of now dead Mr. Hagen's attempt to murder her (but surprisingly no leftover trauma from the attempted murder by a very much still alive dingbat secretary), Jenny is just trying to acclimate to life on the outside. Her friends Rick and Claire are back, along with her boyfriend Cal, and her mom, who finally seems on the upswing with a new job and man in her life.
Jenny Jeffers lives in a new home, and spends her days trying to relax and live a normal teenage life until she is approached by Mrs. Warsaw, a widower of twin boys and a girl. Mrs. Warsaw obtrusively asks complete stranger Jenny to watch her kids for 15 minutes, because hey, this is the 80s and trust in humanity is still kind of a thing.
Jenny likes the kids and finds enjoyment in babysitting Sean, Seth, and Meredith, although if you want my opinion that you didn't ask for, I would have tapped out from the fighting little monsters after one visit. But no, our Jenny is a natural.
Despite enjoying the kids, Jenny has a weird experience at the house of feeling supernatural coldness in the room. As she does in earlier books, she tries to talk herself down, but ultimately decides she's uncomfortable at the house. It's the first mental soundness we hear from Jenny, but will it last? No, of course not. Because in order for the plot to work, Jenny has to have resounding devotion to three unknown kids she's known all but 15 minutes and an allegiance to oddball Mrs. Warsaw over her own comfort.
This is how she winds up committing to the watch the kids again. And again. And with each visit, comes an escalation of oddities. More supernatural cold feelings. Creaking and footsteps in the attic, seeing a girl's face in the attic, and nightly runs of a little boy and howling animal in the middle of the night in her yard. Weird. And things... just get weirder. Because now, Jenny is hearing voices warning her of impending death, and finding herself near victim to a cake knife turning on her and a garbage disposal that wants to eat her arm. (At least no phone calls this time) Despite all this, and in the realm of dumb fiction, Jenny bottles this all up, only telling Claire (who betrays her trust and tells Ms. Jeffers) and stubbornly continuing to babysit, because she has a grotesque need to figure out what's going on and prove her sanity to ... herself?
And so, she babysits one final time (to the opposition of Ms. Jeffers) only to find the truth- sweet and kind twin Seth is actually a ghost that has been trying to kill Jenny. Yes, I know, you have a lot of questions, such as, how did Mrs. Warsaw and Jenny go the whole book without dialogue about twin Seth, or how does a ghost boy consume cake? Rest assured, my friends, none of your questions will be answered. So Jenny, loses her marbles, and throws a glass vase at a bathroom mirror in an attempt to destroy the reflection of Seth, cutting her self in the process, just as Mrs. Warsaw conveniently comes home. And of course, everyone is now on the "Jenny is crazy train," with Ms. Jeffers being especially concerned.
The book isn't done yet though. You see, proving her sanity (or insanity in my opinion) is really crucial here, which is why, when she sees the girl in the attic saying "Help Me," she decides to once and for all figure it out...and so, she sneaks into the house while Mrs. Warsaw and the kids are out, and lets the girl ghost out of attic, despite protests from Seth the ghost. We find out, despite contradictory accusations, that Seth was a boy who attempted to kill his babysitter, only to die himself in the process. And somehow this final culmination of ghost fighting leads to the final death of both ghosts. Cal and Ms. Jeffers come over just in time to miss all of this, but to find Jenny feeling mentally stable now that she has seen out the end of the horrors she's faced. (Cue the light-hearted ending joke about babysitting- palm slap)
Here's the real plot hole issue I have here, besides my disdain for the whole plot in general. We're given the impression, throughout the story, that the attic needs to stay locked. This is explained that Sean and Meredith knew what was going on with Seth and had an allegiance (through fear) to him. But are we to believe Mrs. Warsaw never opened the door to the attic? And why would Mrs. Warsaw be exempt from the supernatural occurrences of the house? If the kids aren't exempt, why would Mrs. Warsaw be? This is just one of many questions I have about this book.
Don't ask why, but I believed these books were building up for the return of Mr. Hagen. Heck, I could have even stood by a Mr. Hagen ghost revenge plot.
But no, sit back, relax and enjoy the menagerie of nonsense as the Babysitter series ends with an off the rails plot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2025
Continua il mio personale “revival” dei libri di R.L. Stine.
Dopo Presagio di Morte, ho scelto il quarto e ultimo capitolo della serie La Baby-Sitter, da noi tradotto sempre per la collana Super Brividi.
Nonostante il mio grande interesse per la copertina del 3, che da sola mi spinse ad iniziarla senza neppure seguire l’ordine giusto, da bambino non avevo questi libri fra i miei preferiti di Stine. In retrospettiva devo dire che sono abbastanza atipici per la collana: pur essendo sempre romanzi “da brividi” per ragazzi, sono gli unici che mi vengono in mente delle due popolari collane che non hanno elementi sovrannaturali. La protagonista, Jenny, è una giovane baby-sitter al centro di thriller con, almeno all’inizio, uno stalker con istinti omicidi per le baby-sitter.
Anche la copertina che tanto mi piaceva, con uno scheletro malvagio a cavallo, alla fine trova una sua contestualizzazione realistica. Fra licenze artistiche e alcuni passaggi allucinati dei libri, si è riusciti a giustificare la loro presenza nella stessa collana popolata da vampiri, alieni e altre fantasticherie.
Non che sia un problema, anzi, risaltano anche per questo.
Il libro originale, poi, ho recentemente scoperto esser stato uno di quelli che ha avviato l’autore verso la popolarità già nel 1989, qualche anno prima della comparsa di Slappy, il pupazzo da ventriloquo quasi simbolo dei Piccoli Brividi.
Da ragazzino, però, non sono mai andato oltre il 3, anche perché la copertina del 4 non mi attirava e gli altri tre non mi avevano preso abbastanza.
Oggi posso dire che finire con il 3 è stato quasi sensato.
Il libro inizia in modo interessante: Jenny deve ancora finire di riprendersi dai traumi delle disavventure precedenti ma sta riconquistando pian piano una sua normalità. Il tema principale credo sia il superamento di un terrore bloccante, il dimostrare a sé e agli altri di non essere ancora vittima di un trauma.
Purtroppo l’aspetto psicologico e ancor di più quello legato alla psicoterapia sono molto superficiali. La clinica e la dottoressa che segue la protagonista sono più una possibile punizione in caso di “sconfitta” che strumenti ben integrati nel resto della narrazione che consentono a Jenny di andare avanti in modo sano come dovrebbe essere. La figura stessa della psichiatra, nell’unica sua scena con funzione positiva, è poco professionale. Non aiuta che nella stessa scena Jenny le stia mentendo e che alla fine “va meglio così”.
Da un libro di Stine non mi aspetto certo un saggio approfondito sui benefici dei trattamenti psichiatrici e psicologici, ma qua secondo me si intralcia un po’ la narrativa, anche per i motivi che evidenzierò a breve.
Rispetto al 2 e al 3, questo libro nemmeno ci prova a giustificare il come Jenny li trova a vivere un incubo legato al ruolo delle baby-sitter.
Viene costretta dalla nuova vicina a guardare i suoi bambini e, in più, si scontra con una nuova minaccia per nulla collegata a quella del primo. Se il 2 e 3 erano un po’ forzati nel dire che l’orrore non era finito, questo è assurdo e basta.
In più, e preferisco scriverlo sotto spoiler,
Sembra una svolta posticcia, con un climax troppo rapido e la protagonista che alla fine sembra agire a caso. Capisco come si rapporta al tema centrale della paura, ma il risultato è davvero brutto, con delle battute finali di Jenny che sembrano decontestualizzate rispetto a quello che ha appena vissuto.
Dopo il finale particolare del 3, sarebbe stato bello avere un capitolo conclusivo in linea con i precedenti, sempre con Jenny come protagonista, ma evidentemente Stine non aveva altre idee per una serie già andata oltre quello che si poteva fare senza finire un po’ nell’assurdo. Capisco il non volersi ripetere, ma il risultato mi ha lasciato davvero con l’amaro in bocca.
Dopo Presagio di Morte, ho scelto il quarto e ultimo capitolo della serie La Baby-Sitter, da noi tradotto sempre per la collana Super Brividi.
Nonostante il mio grande interesse per la copertina del 3, che da sola mi spinse ad iniziarla senza neppure seguire l’ordine giusto, da bambino non avevo questi libri fra i miei preferiti di Stine. In retrospettiva devo dire che sono abbastanza atipici per la collana: pur essendo sempre romanzi “da brividi” per ragazzi, sono gli unici che mi vengono in mente delle due popolari collane che non hanno elementi sovrannaturali. La protagonista, Jenny, è una giovane baby-sitter al centro di thriller con, almeno all’inizio, uno stalker con istinti omicidi per le baby-sitter.
Anche la copertina che tanto mi piaceva, con uno scheletro malvagio a cavallo, alla fine trova una sua contestualizzazione realistica. Fra licenze artistiche e alcuni passaggi allucinati dei libri, si è riusciti a giustificare la loro presenza nella stessa collana popolata da vampiri, alieni e altre fantasticherie.
Non che sia un problema, anzi, risaltano anche per questo.
Il libro originale, poi, ho recentemente scoperto esser stato uno di quelli che ha avviato l’autore verso la popolarità già nel 1989, qualche anno prima della comparsa di Slappy, il pupazzo da ventriloquo quasi simbolo dei Piccoli Brividi.
Da ragazzino, però, non sono mai andato oltre il 3, anche perché la copertina del 4 non mi attirava e gli altri tre non mi avevano preso abbastanza.
Oggi posso dire che finire con il 3 è stato quasi sensato.
Il libro inizia in modo interessante: Jenny deve ancora finire di riprendersi dai traumi delle disavventure precedenti ma sta riconquistando pian piano una sua normalità. Il tema principale credo sia il superamento di un terrore bloccante, il dimostrare a sé e agli altri di non essere ancora vittima di un trauma.
Purtroppo l’aspetto psicologico e ancor di più quello legato alla psicoterapia sono molto superficiali. La clinica e la dottoressa che segue la protagonista sono più una possibile punizione in caso di “sconfitta” che strumenti ben integrati nel resto della narrazione che consentono a Jenny di andare avanti in modo sano come dovrebbe essere. La figura stessa della psichiatra, nell’unica sua scena con funzione positiva, è poco professionale. Non aiuta che nella stessa scena Jenny le stia mentendo e che alla fine “va meglio così”.
Da un libro di Stine non mi aspetto certo un saggio approfondito sui benefici dei trattamenti psichiatrici e psicologici, ma qua secondo me si intralcia un po’ la narrativa, anche per i motivi che evidenzierò a breve.
Rispetto al 2 e al 3, questo libro nemmeno ci prova a giustificare il come Jenny li trova a vivere un incubo legato al ruolo delle baby-sitter.
Viene costretta dalla nuova vicina a guardare i suoi bambini e, in più, si scontra con una nuova minaccia per nulla collegata a quella del primo. Se il 2 e 3 erano un po’ forzati nel dire che l’orrore non era finito, questo è assurdo e basta.
In più, e preferisco scriverlo sotto spoiler,
Sembra una svolta posticcia, con un climax troppo rapido e la protagonista che alla fine sembra agire a caso. Capisco come si rapporta al tema centrale della paura, ma il risultato è davvero brutto, con delle battute finali di Jenny che sembrano decontestualizzate rispetto a quello che ha appena vissuto.
Dopo il finale particolare del 3, sarebbe stato bello avere un capitolo conclusivo in linea con i precedenti, sempre con Jenny come protagonista, ma evidentemente Stine non aveva altre idee per una serie già andata oltre quello che si poteva fare senza finire un po’ nell’assurdo. Capisco il non volersi ripetere, ma il risultato mi ha lasciato davvero con l’amaro in bocca.
November 28, 2021
Reviewed on Lili Lost in a Book
Jenny is back... And she’s babysitting again 😬 She wasn’t going to, but she was almost forced into it by her new neighbor. The poor girl.
Jenny spent some time in a mental hospital after she had a mental break and pretended to be Mr. Hagen, the guy who tried to kill her back in the first book, and then literally KIDNAPPED a baby in the last book! Anyway, she’s back home now, in a new house. Unfortunately for Jenny, the horror is far from over. There are no more creepy phone calls, but there is definitely someone watching and threatening Jenny.
One thing I liked was that Jenny finally got a new doctor. I don’t think her last therapist helped her all that much—especially not his receptionist who tried to freaking MURDER her in book two! Jeez. Lol. But I feel like Jenny has made a lot of progress since we last saw her. When something bad or slightly weird happens, she’s like, “No, it’s NOT Mr. Hagen.” Which is good! She stops and thinks things through, not rushing to think it’s Mr. Hagen and just being sure of herself. This was great!
But then things do take a terrible turn in Jenny’s new life. It all starts when her neighbor needs to run to the store real quick and needs someone to watch her kids for like 5 minutes while she’s away. Hey, I have a better idea: take them with you! If they don’t behave when you guys go out, that sounds like a you problem 🙃 So Jenny starts babysitting these kids at their house, and the whole thing gave me strong haunted house vibes, which I loved! It was just very different from the last three books, and I enjoyed that. However, poor Jenny keeps thinking that all these vibes are just inside her head.WERE they all in her head? Or was there actually someone there lurking and watching? 👀
I really enjoyed this book! I loved seeing the progress Jenny has made and how she handled things after she got proper care. I also really enjoyed the plot twist there at the end!
Jenny is back... And she’s babysitting again 😬 She wasn’t going to, but she was almost forced into it by her new neighbor. The poor girl.
Jenny spent some time in a mental hospital after she had a mental break and pretended to be Mr. Hagen, the guy who tried to kill her back in the first book, and then literally KIDNAPPED a baby in the last book! Anyway, she’s back home now, in a new house. Unfortunately for Jenny, the horror is far from over. There are no more creepy phone calls, but there is definitely someone watching and threatening Jenny.
One thing I liked was that Jenny finally got a new doctor. I don’t think her last therapist helped her all that much—especially not his receptionist who tried to freaking MURDER her in book two! Jeez. Lol. But I feel like Jenny has made a lot of progress since we last saw her. When something bad or slightly weird happens, she’s like, “No, it’s NOT Mr. Hagen.” Which is good! She stops and thinks things through, not rushing to think it’s Mr. Hagen and just being sure of herself. This was great!
I have to feel completely safe when I’m the only one around, she told herself. I don’t need someone else to make me feel safe.
But then things do take a terrible turn in Jenny’s new life. It all starts when her neighbor needs to run to the store real quick and needs someone to watch her kids for like 5 minutes while she’s away. Hey, I have a better idea: take them with you! If they don’t behave when you guys go out, that sounds like a you problem 🙃 So Jenny starts babysitting these kids at their house, and the whole thing gave me strong haunted house vibes, which I loved! It was just very different from the last three books, and I enjoyed that. However, poor Jenny keeps thinking that all these vibes are just inside her head.WERE they all in her head? Or was there actually someone there lurking and watching? 👀
I really enjoyed this book! I loved seeing the progress Jenny has made and how she handled things after she got proper care. I also really enjoyed the plot twist there at the end!
April 12, 2022
Babysitter IV is easily the best book in the Babysitter siers! It's not even close. Babysitter IV feels like a Fear Street series than a Point Horror book, and it goes in a way different and better approach than the previous three books.
I was wondering if the fourth installment would have us following Jenny, after the conclusion on book three and if so, how would Stine approach it. Sure enough, we are once again following Jenny and without a long drawn out explanation, we dive right into Jenny's new life.
We have some returning characters and a few new characters but unlike the past three books, these characters don't just get left in the dust, and the book doesn't suddenly end. Babysitter 1-3 always found a way to logically explain everything that was happening to Jenny, and to be honest, I thought that took away from the series. I'm reading Stine's books for some supernatural, unexplainable and gorish scenes, not a logical explanation to everything.
Babysitter IV goes way off the rails in terms of following the previous three entries and goes for the shock and scare factor and man does it pay off! I know they say, "Don't judge a book by it's cover" but the cover for Babysitter IV does not represent what goes down in book four! Not even close!
I wasn't too excited going into Babysitter 4, and thought I would be dragging through this one, but man, once your realize this book isn't going to go the same route at the previous Babysitter books, you won't want to put it down! An easy 5 stars!
I was wondering if the fourth installment would have us following Jenny, after the conclusion on book three and if so, how would Stine approach it. Sure enough, we are once again following Jenny and without a long drawn out explanation, we dive right into Jenny's new life.
We have some returning characters and a few new characters but unlike the past three books, these characters don't just get left in the dust, and the book doesn't suddenly end. Babysitter 1-3 always found a way to logically explain everything that was happening to Jenny, and to be honest, I thought that took away from the series. I'm reading Stine's books for some supernatural, unexplainable and gorish scenes, not a logical explanation to everything.
Babysitter IV goes way off the rails in terms of following the previous three entries and goes for the shock and scare factor and man does it pay off! I know they say, "Don't judge a book by it's cover" but the cover for Babysitter IV does not represent what goes down in book four! Not even close!
I wasn't too excited going into Babysitter 4, and thought I would be dragging through this one, but man, once your realize this book isn't going to go the same route at the previous Babysitter books, you won't want to put it down! An easy 5 stars!
October 21, 2025
It's kind of fun reading these types of books thirty years down the line. They make a good palate cleanser. Every chapter in this book ends with (1) a cold hand landing on the babysitter's shoulder, or (2) a demonic voice whispering something akin to "You're going to die tonight," or (3) a ghostly image seen out a window or in a mirror. The book is completely cheesy and doesn't make much sense, but with R.L. Stine's patented formula it doesn't matter. He knew that with preteens, his primary audience, all he needed to do was ratchet up the tension every few pages to keep them interested. It didn't matter if the method by which he did so was predictable and repetitious and often illogical. Then when he'd padded his flimsy story out to a hundred pages or so using this technique, he could wrap it up, then start writing another book using the exact same formula the next day. Vary the plot a little - this one's about a killer who stalks babysitters, this one's about a ghost, this one's about a possessed ventriloquist dummy, etc - and you have yourself three bestsellers in the span of less than a year, with two more on the way before Christmas. Rinse and repeat for a few decades and you'll have one hell of a bibliography.
October 29, 2017
Book 4 (and last) in the Babysitter series
This one was pretty good, probably my second favorite of the Babysitter series after the first one. Although, I have to say overall this series isn’t as good as most of R.L. Stine’s other books.
Jenny is finally out of the psych ward of the hospital after the events from Babysitter III. She thinks she is finally over her fears. Cal stayed Jenny’s boyfriend and supportive just as Jenny’s friends Claire and Rick stayed supportive. Jenny and her mom moved to a different neighborhood, so Jenny really feels like she can make a fresh start. That is until the next door neighbor asks her to babysit her kids. Jenny agrees, reluctantly, after all, it’s only next door. There are twin boys and a girl. Things seem fine at first but then Jenny starts feeling icy touches on her shoulder and neck even though no one is there. Then Jenny almost can’t stop herself from trying to stab herself or putting her hand down the garbage disposal. What’s going on? Is it ghosts or is Jenny’s mind finally gone?
This one was pretty good, probably my second favorite of the Babysitter series after the first one. Although, I have to say overall this series isn’t as good as most of R.L. Stine’s other books.
Jenny is finally out of the psych ward of the hospital after the events from Babysitter III. She thinks she is finally over her fears. Cal stayed Jenny’s boyfriend and supportive just as Jenny’s friends Claire and Rick stayed supportive. Jenny and her mom moved to a different neighborhood, so Jenny really feels like she can make a fresh start. That is until the next door neighbor asks her to babysit her kids. Jenny agrees, reluctantly, after all, it’s only next door. There are twin boys and a girl. Things seem fine at first but then Jenny starts feeling icy touches on her shoulder and neck even though no one is there. Then Jenny almost can’t stop herself from trying to stab herself or putting her hand down the garbage disposal. What’s going on? Is it ghosts or is Jenny’s mind finally gone?
December 29, 2017
(Re-Read) The final volume in the Baby-Sitter Quartet. Annnnd what a disappointment. I mean, seriously. What the heck happened with this one?!? It's been a year since the last book, Jenny is out of the hospital now having finally been cured from her obsession with Mr Havers, the man who tried to kill her three years ago. She no longer fears he'll call her or pop up somewhere to seek revenge; she's even happy for a new start in their new home, so much so she agrees to babysit the kids next door. When will Jenny learn she's just not meant to babysit? A bunch of creepy shit starts happening like icy hands grabbing her neck and whispering death threats...but no phone calls. Everyone thinks Jenny has lost her mind again...but shocker, it's legit a ghost. No, seriously. After straying away from all things paranormal for 3 books, Stine throws an effing ghost into this one. >_> Not impressed with the finale.
January 10, 2018
The book “The Babysitter” had really caught my interest.The story may have started off in a very sedate way ,but reading it continuously had really taken a grasp at my attention.Personally,I felt the moral of the story is always to be highly aware of your surroundings.If Jenny had done that in the first place, she would’ve never been in the predicament that she had put herself in.In all honesty I would reccommend this for fearless,courageous,dauntless,and daring people.So in other words,it is best to read this book if you do not get scared easily. “The Babysitter” itself is a mind blowing book that will make you want to read more of the author’s stories.This book pertains to any other female wanting to babysit at such a dangerous town.It could be relatable to some people in the world.But to conclude everything,the book has tremendously adjusted my mindset on certain things. “The Babysitter”is an amazing book that makes you reflect on how dangerous the world is.
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