In primary school, I was introduced to the wonder of book series. Tracy Beaker, Adrian Mole, Ghostwriters, Goosebumps, anything by Enid Blyton, Sweet Valley High – so many detailed, exciting, entertaining worlds to get lost in.
Going to the library for a new book was like finding a special treat that the authors left just for me.
When I discovered that my favourite books were made into TV shows and movies, I was beside myself. It was as if the story never stopped revealing itself.
When I read that Netflix was adapting Ann M Martin’s The Baby-Sitters Club for streaming, I was immediately transported to Grade 5 or 6, when I first met Kristy, Claudia, Stacy and Mary-Anne. I learned so much about friendship and life from watching these girls run their babysitting business – the stories of Claudia, the compassionate artist dealing with family pressure, and Stacy, who was dealing with diabetes at such a young age, stood out to me.
The good news is the streaming adaptation of the books stays true to these defining storylines, keeping the characters authentic while bringing some of the details of their lives up into 2020.
All the familiar preteen angst is there: losing friends, worrying about how to look good in front of boys, struggling to find your “thing” at school, and, on top of it all, trying to keep your family in check!
I got a kick out of seeing 90s icon Alicia Silverstone playing Kristy’s mother Elizabeth, and I think she and Sophie Grace make a great on-screen pair. Kristy’s sometimes moody, always bossy attitude is straight from the pages of the books and is played with confidence by Sophie Grace. (In a parallel TV universe, Kristy is leaving for college soon and leans fully into her angsty teen side and it is delicious.)
The tenderness with which Shay Rudolph plays Stacy’s withdrawn new-girl-in-town is endearing and shows potential for a serious drama career in the future.
Mary Anne (Malia Baker) and Claudia (Momona Tamada) are both passionate and ambitious in their own ways and the show does a great job of colouring their worlds with interesting supporting elements like high-achieving families (for Claudia) and tricky single-dad-raising-a-girl situations (for Mary Anne).
Each of the girls is an absolute pleasure to watch on screen. Where the script, which in the first five episodes is well-paced and entertaining, may have some gaps, the actors step in to round out the performance.
There are funny moments, sad moments and teaching moments, which in a show like this are the best kind.
We see the girls make serious decisions about who they want to be – at school, with friends, or in their own futures – while they also learn to give grace to others while they find themselves. Particularly, there is a special moment between Mary Anne and one of her charges in which she learns to hold space for a growing trans girl. They expertly address a sticky topic that is so often mishandled, delivering a shining moment in the first half of the series.
The storylines hold something in them for people of all ages, because at the heart of it The Baby-Sitters Club is about people banding together to support, guide, and uplift each other. And goodness knows I could use some of that right now.
All ten episodes of The Baby-Sitters Club are currently available to stream on Netflix.
Nkhensani Manabe 