SCHOLASTIC TO MARK 40 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF ANN M. MARTIN'S BELOVED THE BABY-SITTERS CLUB® SERIES WITH EXCITING NEW PUBLISHING IN 2026
NEW YORK, Jan. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly four decades since launching one of the most successful and beloved children's book series of all time, Scholastic, the global children's publishing, education, and media company, announced that it will release new titles to mark the 40th anniversary milestone of Ann M. Martin's iconic The Baby-sitters Club® series.
On July 7, 2026, Scholastic will publish The Baby-sitters Club Fan Edition: Baby-sitter Summer, a first-of-its-kind spin-off title in which an all-star lineup of authors writes each beloved character's point of view, with series creator Ann M. Martin returning to tell Mary Anne's story. Becky Albertalli, Coe Booth, Sarah Kuhn, Peter Lerangis, Jahnna N. Malcolm, and Emma Straub join her in writing this summer to remember for Stacey, Kristy, Claudia, Dawn, Jessi, and Mallory. Navigating adolescence, friendship, and family across the map, Mary Anne and Stacey stay in Stoneybrook while the rest of The Baby-sitters Club members head out on adventures.
For the first time ever, on September 15, 2026, bestselling authors and industry superstars Raina Telgemeier and Gale Galligan team up to create The Baby-sitters Club Super Special: Baby-sitters on Board!, a graphic novel adaptation of the first Baby-sitters Club Super Special novel originally published in 1988 and beloved by BSC fans around the world. In this stunning book that original fans and new readers will devour, Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, Stacey, Dawn, Mallory, and Jessi are going on the best vacation ever: a cruise to the Bahamas followed by three days at an amusement park…and, of course, lots of babysitting adventures!
Ann M. Martin, creator of The Baby-sitters Club, said, "It's hard to believe it's been nearly four decades since the adventures of Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, and Stacey began, and I'm thrilled and humbled by the incredible success and enduring popularity of The Baby-sitters Club."
David Levithan, Publisher and longtime editor of The Baby-sitters Club, said, "One of the joys of The Baby-sitters Club is that we now have generations of fans who think of the BSC as their own. The BSC Fan Edition is sure to be embraced by fans young and old."
Cassandra Pelham Fulton, Associate Publisher for the Graphix imprint and editor of The Baby-sitters Club graphic novel adaptations, said, "Raina Telgemeier and Gale Galligan are comics superstars and longtime friends who are also huge fans of The Baby-sitters Club and have each adapted and illustrated multiple BSC graphic novels, making this a dream collaboration and incredible full-circle moment. Raina and Gale bringing their signature storytelling and cartooning styles back to a series that has inspired so many kids to love reading will be a super special publishing event."
In addition to The Baby-sitters Club Fan Edition and The Baby-sitters Club Super Special graphic novel adaptation, in the spring, Scholastic will publish The Baby-sitters Club: Friendship Crafts, from the editors of Klutz, which includes a letter from Ann M. Martin, and all the materials BSC fans will need to make and swap bracelets, friendship pins, bookmarks, fortune tellers, and more by following the design inspired by the BSC characters.
About The Baby-sitters Club by Ann M. Martin
The Baby-sitters Club features an entrepreneurial group of friends who run a baby-sitting business. Set in the fictional town of Stoneybrook, Connecticut, the series kicked off when seventh-grader Kristy Thomas's brilliant business plan gets off to a great start with the help of her friends Mary Anne Spier, Claudia Kishi, and Stacey McGill. Launched in 1986 and originally conceived to consist of only four books (Kristy's Great Idea, Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls, The Truth About Stacey, and Mary Anne Saves the Day), the pioneering book series' popularity skyrocketed and expanded to more than 250 titles, four spin-off book series, bestselling graphic novel adaptations, a TV series on HBO, a feature film from Sony Pictures, an acclaimed original Netflix series, and it inspired readers around the world to start their own Baby-sitters Club businesses. The series has nearly 200 million books in print to date and has been published in 23 languages.
The Baby-sitters Club became the first children's series to appear on the USA Today bestseller list. The New York Times Magazine hailed Martin as a writer who "gets children to read" and Time magazine praised the series as "must-read literature for preteen girls." The Baby-sitters Club took on life for a new generation when the BSC graphic novel adaptations launched in 2006 with four books adapted and illustrated by bestselling author Raina Telgemeier, followed by four books adapted and illustrated by bestselling author Gale Galligan. The series continues to be a mainstay of the New York Times graphic novel bestseller list. For more information about The Baby-sitters Club, visit https://mediaroom.scholastic.com/babysittersclub.
The Baby-sitters Club Musical, the first-ever stage adaptation of the iconic series, is currently in development by TWTheatricals. This full-length production is written by Kate Wetherhead (The Devil Wears Prada) and Mark Sonnenblick (KPop Demon Hunters), and directed by Annie Tippe (Octet, Lucille Lortel Award for Best Direction, Ghost Quartet, Huzzah!). For information about The Baby-sitters Cub Musical, visit https://twtheatricals.com/.
About Scholastic
For more information about Scholastic, visit our mediaroom at https://mediaroom.scholastic.com/.
The Baby-sitters Club Fan Edition: Baby-sitter Summer
Publication Date July 7, 2026;
Hardcover ISBN 9781546171379; E-book ISBN 9781546171386
Price $14.99; Ages 9-99
The Baby-sitters Club Super Special #1: Baby-sitters on Board! (A Graphic Novel)
Publication Date September 15, 2026
Paperback ISBN 9781546174363; E-book ISBN 9781546174387
Price $14.99 USD; Ages 8-12
The Baby-sitters Club Friendship Crafts
Publication Date April 7, 2026; ISBN 9798225032838
Price $19.99 USD; Ages 8-12
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SOURCE Scholastic Inc