Ann M. Martin
Ann M. Martin grew up in Princeton, New Jersey and always enjoyed writing even before she was old enough to write. She would dictate stories to her mother to write them down for her. Her favorite authors growing up include Lewis Carroll, Astrid Lindgren, and Roald Dahl. After graduating from Smith College, she became a teacher and then an editor of children's books before becoming a full-time writer. Ann went on to write The Baby-sitters Club which launched her career to extraordinary heights. One of her most memorable moments as an author was asking her dad, Henry Martin, a cartoonist for the New Yorker magazine, to illustrate the cover of New York, New York, one of the more than 213 volumes of The Baby-sitters Club series.
In addition to The Baby-sitters Club, Ann wrote the acclaimed novel-in-letters, P.S. Longer Letter Later and Snail Mail No More, with author Paula Danziger. She also co-wrote The Doll People books with Laura Godwin, illustrated by Brian Selznick. Ann wrote several novels set in the 1960s including Belle Teal (a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year) and A Corner of the Universe which won a Newbery Honor in 2003. Her novel, A Dog's Life: The Autobiography of a Stray, was a winner of the ASPCA Henry Bergh Children's Book Award.
Ann believes strongly in giving to organizations and in volunteer work. In 1990, she founded the Ann M. Martin Foundation, a non-profit organization which provides financial support to causes benefiting children, education and literacy programs, as well as stray and abused animals. Additionally, Ann and several of her friends started The Lisa Libraries in memory of a publishing colleague. The foundation requests donations of new and unused children's books. The books are sorted into small libraries, which are then given to shelters, day care centers, after-school programs, and other organizations helping children in under-served areas. For more information, go to www.lisalibraries.org.
Ann divides her time between New York City and upstate New York. She currently spends most of her time in her home in the Hudson Valley where she likes to write, go on long walks with her dog Sadie, watch old episodes of I Love Lucy, and make clothes for children, her favorite hobby.
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Press Release: The Baby-sitters Club® is back with a new novel and re-issues of the beloved series by bestselling author Ann M. Martin
Reviews
Everything for a Dog
Ann M. Martin
Three different stories, with dogs as part of the central plot of each, gradually become connected in surprising ways. The first story is about Squirrel and Bone, two strays born on an occasionally occupied farm, featuring Bone as the primary voice. Personifying an animal and giving it voice is an amazing thing, tugging at heartstrings (even more so for animal lovers). The next story about Henry, a young boy who has always wanted a dog and whose parents are against it, finally connects to the third story about Charlie. Charlie, the younger of two boys, tragically loses his older brother in an accident not caused by but related to Charlie. Charlie's family is consumed by grief and pretty much ignore Charlie. Charlie handles his grief by depending on his brother's dog, Sunny, for companionship. When tragedy, again, strikes just as his family seems to be recovering, the repercussions last many years and are connected to Henry's father's reluctance to approve Henry's getting a dog. The stories are superbly crafted as they finally intertwine in the conclusion, one that dog lovers will particularly enjoy. 2009, Feiwel and Friends, $16.99. Ages 10 to 15. Reviewer: Meredith Kiger, Ph.D. (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780312386511
ISBN: 0312386516
Kristy's Great Idea
Ann M. Martin
When her mother must make multiple phone calls to find a babysitter for Kristy's little brother, Kristy gets the great idea to form a baby-sitters club. Parents can make just one phone call to find a sitter. The club is composed of Kristy, her best friend Mary Anne, Claudia who lives across the street, and Stacey who is a new girl in town. Kristy learns to accept her mother's boyfriend, and Stacey divulges that she is a diabetic. The girls learn to work with one another, trust one another, and accept each other's individual personality. They share with one another their babysitting experiences which add to the fun of this book. Martin does a fine job creating individual characters and realistic scenes. She has a keen sense of the world of seventh graders who straddle the line between childhood and being young adults. The story is as fresh today as it was when first published in 1986. There are minor changes to include today's technology and jargon. The series was a popular and publishing success. This is the beginning of the series, and is, therefore, "The Baby-Sitters Club #1." It is one of five books that have been reprinted. 2010 (orig. 1986), Scholastic, Ages 8 to 12, $5.99. Reviewer: Sharon Salluzzo (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-545-17475-6
The Summer Before
Ann M. Martin
Do you remember the Baby-sitters Club? Kristy Thomas? Mary Anne Spier? Claudia Kishi? Stacey McGill? How about Ann M. Martin, the author who first told their tales? If you do, you are showing your age. It has been more than a decade since a new BSC volume was published, and the series began in 1986. It is a good bet that most of the series' readers are probably of an age that they would need baby-sitters for their own children now! But that does not mean the stories are less relevant or meaningful today than they were in years past. If you are looking to share the stories of your youth with your own budding readers, there is good news. You are in luck. The popular series is being reissued for a new generation of readers. The stories will be updated for changes in fashion and technology, but will remain true to the originals' themes and struggles. There is one exception: this brand-new book, an addition to the series. With this brand-new prequel, series originator Martin sets the scene. We meet Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey during the summer before they form the Baby-sitters Club. Kristy is struggling to accept that her father has left the family. Mary Anne is trying to get her widowed father to accept that she is old enough and responsible enough for her childhood rules to be loosened. Claudia is experiencing "first love," with a crush on an older boy her sister likes. Stacey is saying good-bye to her New York City life and moving to Stoneybrook, where she will meet the other girls. All are on the edge of something new and wonderful - the BSC, the development of their friendships, and their shared tween experiences. Readers will find this a good warm-up to a series about a realistic set of girls with true-to-life struggles. 2010, Scholastic Press/Scholastic, Ages 8 to 12, $16.99. Reviewer: Heidi Hauser Green (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-545-17475-6
Added 04/28/10
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