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beammey's review against another edition
5.0
This was my favorite of the four graphic novels. It's true to the book and the story line is great for young people and tweens, and maybe even teens as well. I did enjoy this quite a lot and I would recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.
08151991j's review against another edition
5.0
Claudia lives in a family that expects her to get good grades and help around the house. Her sister is known for her good grades and low parental expectations. When her grandmother Mimi experience a severe stroke Claudia is bothered by it. It is also bothers Claudia that Janine never helps out. Her sister feels guilty about it, and desires the bonding Claudia has with the family. It only takes one baby-sitting job for Claudia to realize that siblings may seem like they hate each other, but they really do not.
yardsard's review against another edition
4.0
These Raina Telgemeier versions are cute, but as an adult it makes me feel uneasy that tweens are responsible for the care of small children and are so excited about it? The concept just seems dated to me. I'm not sure why this series in particular was chosen for a reboot. I've read four and I'm probably done for now.
ralbert89's review against another edition
5.0
I've enjoyed re-reading all the Babysitters Club books (or at least, all that are available) in graphic novel form, but this one really had the most impact. I remember reading the original Claudia and Mean Janine many years ago when the BSC was my favourite series, and it was always a book that stood out to me. It touches on so many sensitive but very relevant topics, especially sibling rivalry. I really liked how Raina Telgemeier succeeded in bringing Janine's character to life and really letting us see her struggle within the family, even when the focus of the story was on Claudia and her perspective.
I also loved how the book dealt with a very emotional topic for a younger audience. In this book, Claudia's grandmother Mimi suffers a stroke and initially loses all ability to speak or move. It is a pretty heavy topic for kids, and I remember it having a strong impact when I first read the original book as a kid. It is dealt with in a very age-appropriate way, and I like how it also tied into the Claudia-Janine conflict.
I also loved how the book dealt with a very emotional topic for a younger audience. In this book, Claudia's grandmother Mimi suffers a stroke and initially loses all ability to speak or move. It is a pretty heavy topic for kids, and I remember it having a strong impact when I first read the original book as a kid. It is dealt with in a very age-appropriate way, and I like how it also tied into the Claudia-Janine conflict.
jlennidorner's review against another edition
5.0
All the best parts of the original book- friendship, caring about family, having a business sense, setting goals, being responsible, and using creativity are here. I love being able to share this new version with the children in my life.
kat_pines's review against another edition
4.0
Seeing Claudia and Mimi and Maryanne and the special tea had me bawling ðŸ˜
loreofthebooks's review against another edition
2.0
I probably won't reread the remaining of this series, even if my library had them. It just isn't keeping my attention.
Again, takes a normal, everyday problem and solves it, taking the reader along for the ride. Cute for kids, and good for nostalgia, but other than that it's mediocre at best.
Telgemeier is amazing as an artist, and so I want to give her applause for doing an awesome job at illustrating this series.
Again, takes a normal, everyday problem and solves it, taking the reader along for the ride. Cute for kids, and good for nostalgia, but other than that it's mediocre at best.
Telgemeier is amazing as an artist, and so I want to give her applause for doing an awesome job at illustrating this series.
finesilkflower's review against another edition
5.0
An excellent adaptation of a classic Baby-sitters Club book (originally #7, [b:Claudia and Mean Janine|48866|Claudia and Mean Janine (The Baby-Sitters Club, #7)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1219219784l/48866._SX50_.jpg|47840]). This is one of the more emotional books, as Claudia's beloved grandmother, Mimi, has a stroke. The family emergency exacerbates sibling strife between Claudia and her older sister, Janine. The comic brings out all the emotion of Claudia's family storyline, as well as the humor of the baby-sitting interludes in which the rest of the club conducts a summer play group.
This is the last of Raina Telgemeier's Baby-sitters Club graphic novels; it would be nearly 10 years before Gale Galligan took up the mantle to make four more. Having read more of Raina's work, including her sibling rivalry rook [b:Sisters|18225810|Sisters|Raina Telgemeier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1411022689l/18225810._SX50_.jpg|24902370], I understand why she related personally to this story, and why she rearranged the chronology to make it work in her quartet. It's also a strong, emotional story to end on.
Stray Observations
Scenes of Kristy and Dawn bonding in Dawn's barn are sourced from another book, [b:Dawn and the Impossible Three|233719|Dawn and the Impossible Three (The Baby-Sitters Club, #5)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1390193163l/233719._SX50_.jpg|226353]. I guess this makes sense since this is now the first book after Dawn joins the club, but it's sort of weird to have a whole scene from Dawn's and/or Kristy's point of view in Claudia's book. Usually there's no scenes for which the main narrator isn't present except for "club notebook" interludes. The graphic novels do make the series a bit more movie-like and less intensely first-person, but there is still a very clear point-of-view to each one, which this scene - while nice - breaks a bit. (It also leaves Gale Galligan in a bit of a pickle when she goes to make the [b:Dawn and the Impossible Three|34381526|Dawn and the Impossible Three|Gale Galligan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1505566948l/34381526._SX50_.jpg|55469893] comic, but as I mentioned, that was not on the horizon when this book was written.)
There's a nice little epilogue added onto the end where the sitters celebrate their first anniversary with a commemorative photo, and suggest ongoing continuity. It's not from the books but it's a nice way to leave the club, given that this was meant to be the last graphic novel. There's also a cute little text bit at the end that explains the process of making the art.
Most of the dialogue is straight out of the original book, although some elements have been modernized or changed. (Janine's computer classes are updated to being about web development, specifically HTML and PHP. This makes me pretty tickled as an HTML and PHP developer.) Notably, Janine is a little meaner! In the original I was constantly struck by how not-mean she was, considering the title, and that was one of my problems with the book. In the comic, she does snap at one point and call Claudia dumb. I think it's realistic for her to snap under pressure (as all of the family members do at some point or another), and her being actually kind of mean makes Claudia's difficulty getting along with her more sympathetic.
This is the last of Raina Telgemeier's Baby-sitters Club graphic novels; it would be nearly 10 years before Gale Galligan took up the mantle to make four more. Having read more of Raina's work, including her sibling rivalry rook [b:Sisters|18225810|Sisters|Raina Telgemeier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1411022689l/18225810._SX50_.jpg|24902370], I understand why she related personally to this story, and why she rearranged the chronology to make it work in her quartet. It's also a strong, emotional story to end on.
Stray Observations
Scenes of Kristy and Dawn bonding in Dawn's barn are sourced from another book, [b:Dawn and the Impossible Three|233719|Dawn and the Impossible Three (The Baby-Sitters Club, #5)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1390193163l/233719._SX50_.jpg|226353]. I guess this makes sense since this is now the first book after Dawn joins the club, but it's sort of weird to have a whole scene from Dawn's and/or Kristy's point of view in Claudia's book. Usually there's no scenes for which the main narrator isn't present except for "club notebook" interludes. The graphic novels do make the series a bit more movie-like and less intensely first-person, but there is still a very clear point-of-view to each one, which this scene - while nice - breaks a bit. (It also leaves Gale Galligan in a bit of a pickle when she goes to make the [b:Dawn and the Impossible Three|34381526|Dawn and the Impossible Three|Gale Galligan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1505566948l/34381526._SX50_.jpg|55469893] comic, but as I mentioned, that was not on the horizon when this book was written.)
There's a nice little epilogue added onto the end where the sitters celebrate their first anniversary with a commemorative photo, and suggest ongoing continuity. It's not from the books but it's a nice way to leave the club, given that this was meant to be the last graphic novel. There's also a cute little text bit at the end that explains the process of making the art.
Most of the dialogue is straight out of the original book, although some elements have been modernized or changed. (Janine's computer classes are updated to being about web development, specifically HTML and PHP. This makes me pretty tickled as an HTML and PHP developer.) Notably, Janine is a little meaner! In the original I was constantly struck by how not-mean she was, considering the title, and that was one of my problems with the book. In the comic, she does snap at one point and call Claudia dumb. I think it's realistic for her to snap under pressure (as all of the family members do at some point or another), and her being actually kind of mean makes Claudia's difficulty getting along with her more sympathetic.
izpolly's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25