But—why a podcast?
One day, as Esme was reading the Baby-sitters Club with her two daughters, she wondered to herself: “WHAT THE @#$% WAS MRS. PIKE THINKING??” To those that need a refresher, Mrs. Pike is one of the BSC’s most popular baby-sitting clients. Her children are: Mallory (10), Adam, Byron, Jordan (triplets, 9), Vanessa (8), Nicky (7), Margo (6), and Claire (4). That’s a mind-boggling EIGHT kids in SIX years. Did birth control not exist in Stoneybrook, CT circa 1986? Were Mr. and Mrs. Pike secretly planning on raising a semi-professional basketball team? How many rolls of toilet paper did they go through every week? After discussing these burning questions with Anne and Emily, they decided to read the series again through their respective adult professions to see what they missed the first time around. As Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, Stacey, and Dawn have been stuck in Stoneybrook for the past 34 years, Anne, Emily, and Esme are re-joining them to critique and praise the GOAT of YA serial fiction—pizza toast!
Emily Crandall
Emily holds a PhD in political theory from the Graduate Center, City University of New York. She is an underemployed adjunct professor who makes a lot of podcasts for free. Yay, capitalism.
Favorite Baby-Sitters Club Book(s): Dawn and the Impossible Three
Character Breakdown: Damn am I a Dawn. I am also a tinge Mary Anne.
Why I love the BSC: I remember thinking that their trials and tribulations were very poignant. As an adult, they are far cheesier. I’m still very into it.
Anne Ichikawa
Anne is a freelance writer/editor who has written about everything from teen dreams and emo bands to probiotics and beauty potions. She adamantly believes Red Vines are better than Twizzlers.
Favorite Baby-sitters Club Book(s):
Boy-Crazy Stacey or Super Special #1.
Character Breakdown: Mostly a Claudia with a little Stacey and Mary Anne here and there.
Why I love the BSC: Relatable yet aspirational characters that felt like your real-life friends.
Esme Shaller
Esme holds a PhD in clinical psychology from Stony Brook University (yes, really). She’s a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. Her two middle school daughters are currently reading the BSC.
Favorite Baby-sitters Club Book(s): Kristy’s Big Day and Boy-Crazy Stacey.
Character Breakdown: I’m a Kristy, but I have a healthy dose of Mary Anne and some Dawn thrown in there, too.
Why I love the BSC: As a kid, I could always see myself and my friends in the girls. As an adult, I love the sincerity of the series. They are just so genuine.