Best Babysitters Ever is a Hilarious New Book for Tweens

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HMH Books is partnering with me for a giveaway to share Best Babysitters Ever, a hilarious new book for tweens! Read on to check out my review, then find out how to enter for a chance to win a copy + a $50 Visa gift card.

Raise your hand if you loved The Baby-Sitters Club as a tween. I know my hand is sky high! I was a huge fan of Kristy Thomas and all baby-sitting pals back in the 80s, so I couldn’t be more excited to see it reimagined for a whole new generation.

Best Babysitters Ever takes the beloved story that we adored and updates it for today’s tweens. It’s a nod to the original series rather than a reboot or spin-off, so it’s okay if you didn’t obsessively wait at the bookstore (remember those?) for every new story to come out like I did.

Check out the synopsis and a few of my thoughts about the book, then we’ll talk about that giveaway!

About Best Babysitters Ever

and the Dork Diaries. A funny new middle grade series about three 12-year-old best friends who start a babysitting club in their small California town. Perfect for fans of series like Whatever Afterand the Dork Diaries.

Once upon a time, a girl named Kristy Thomas had a great idea: to form The Baby-Sitters Club with her best friends. And now twelve-year-old Malia Twiggs has had a great idea too. Technically, she had Kristy’s idea. (And technically, little kids seem gross and annoying, but a paycheck is a paycheck). After a little convincing, Malia and her friends Dot and Bree start a babysitting club to earn funds for an epic birthday bash. But babysitting definitely isn’t what they thought it would be. Three friends. No parents. Unlimited snacks. And, okay, occasionally watching other people’s children. What could possibly go wrong?

As I mentioned above, this isn’t a spin-off or an attempt to reboot a beloved series. It’s more of a nod to Ann M. Martin’s 80s classic. In the first chapter, Malia (who is having a hard time living up to her namesake, Malia Obama, and would really prefer it if you called her Alia) comes across a copy of The Baby-Sitters Club: Kristy’s Great Idea in a box of free books outside her library.

Although she didn’t get much further than the first chapter, Malia felt like she was destined to find the book. Besides, she didn’t need to read more. She already had everything she needed from the story: a brilliant idea to form her own baby-sitters club!

It doesn’t take much convincing to get her friends Bree and Dot on board, and within a few chapters they’re in business. Of course, that doesn’t go exactly according to plan! Between gross little kids and an idea-stealing older sister, Malia and her friends definitely have their work cut out for them!

With Cala’s smooth dialogue and flawless cadence, Best Babysitters Ever is an absolute joy to read. The main characters are all of different ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds, making it a wonderfully diverse book for all tween girls.

The girls in the story feel very realistic, both in their actions and their friendship. I also love that the tale encourages young girls to become entrepreneurs and go after their dreams. All in all, it’s a fun story and I can see tween girls excitedly pre-ordering the sequel for release-day delivery to their Kindle (which is today’s equivalent of waiting in line at a book store).

Best Babysitters Ever is releases on February 4th. Pre-order it now on Amazon!

About the Author

Caroline Cala is a writer and editor residing in Brooklyn. She has worked as a book editor and as a ghostwriter on a number of books by notable people. Her work has appeared in Vogue, ELLE, Refinery29 and others. Best Babysitters Ever is her middle grade debut. Follow @CarolineCala on Instagram

Best Babysitters Ever Giveaway

A hard day’s work deserves a reward! One (1) winner receives:

a copy of Best Babysitters Ever,

and a $50 Visa gift card to let your young reader splurge on themselves – no babysitting job required!

Giveaway open to US addresses only and ends on March 1. Prizing and samples provided by HMH Books. Good luck!

Best Babysitters Ever



What was your first job as a tween or teen? Did you ever babysit? Tell me all about it!