Book Review :: Baby-Sitters Club Graphix: Mary Anne Saves the Day by Raina Telgemeier and Ann M. Martin

Title: Mary Anne Saves the Day
Author: Raina Telgemeier, Ann M. Martin
Series: The Baby-Sitters Club Graphix
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction / Graphic Novel

Publisher: Scholastic/GRAPHIX
Publication Date: September 1, 2007
Source: Received via PaperBackSwap

Did I like the cover?: I just adore Raina Telgemeier's work so much so YES!

This book reminds me of: reading The Baby-Sitters Club when I was in 4th grade and devouring each and every book.

The main character reminds me of: ME! Out of all the characters, I actually related to Mary-Anne the most because I was a pretty shy kid myself.

Summary from Goodreads:
When a terrible fight breaks out among the four BABY-SITTERS CLUB friends, Mary Anne is left to her own devices. She has to sit by herself at lunch, make new friends, and deal with her overprotective father without advice from the BSC gang. But the worst part is when she faces a terrible baby-sitting predicament, and she can't find any help.

Luckily, Mary Anne rises to the occasion. Not only does she handle all her problems with aplomb, she also manages to get the BSC back together again.

Review:
I was so excited when the first of The Baby-Sitters Club Graphix book was released. Being a Baby-Sitters devotee, I was so excited that the series that got me hooked into reading series of books when I was 9 years old would get a new breath of life. I was excited that it could possibly become a series that a whole new generation of kids could fall in love with.

Raina Telgemeier's work is ah-mazing. You need to check out her portfolio here. I think she did a superb job of updating the characters to give it more of a modern flair without compromising the essence of each character's personality. I think she really captured each character nicely. The only character that looked a little different in the book than in my head was Claudia.

In this story, the girls of the Baby-Sitters Club are at war with each other and Mary Anne is in the middle trying play peacemaker between all the girls. I had a hard time remembering the original book, but it seemed like the girls spent whole book fighting with each other and the preteen hormones were getting a little old towards the end. I especially liked how Raina introduced Dawn and the back story of the high school relationship between Mary Anne's father and Dawn's mother.

Overall:
It was an excellent graphic novel. I think a lot of young girls could definitely get into the Baby-Sitters Club series through this book and that makes it worth reading and sharing!

Rating:
4 out of 5 stars

You can also check out Raina's other book, Smile.

Summary from Goodreads:

Raina just wants to be a normal sixth grader. But one night after Girl Scouts she trips and falls, severely injuring her two front teeth, and what follows is a long and frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, surgery, embarrassing headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth attached. And on top of all that, there's still more to deal with: a major earthquake, boy confusion, and friends who turn out to be not so friendly.
This coming-of-age true story is sure to resonate with anyone who has ever been in middle school, and especially those who have ever had a bit of their own dental drama.



This is book #12 of the year. I am participating in the 2011 Goodreads Reading Challenge. My goal is to read 50 books this year.