Baby-Sitter's Little Sister is a "spin-off" of The Baby-Sitter's Club series written by Ann M. Martin . Martin published the first book in the series Karen's Witch in 1988. and continued the series with 122 novels until 2000. The series centers around Karen Brewer, Kristy Thomas' younger stepsister, along with her friends Nancy Dawes and Hannie Papadakis. Later, Martin created a spin off series of this series called The Kids in Ms. Colman's Class.
General[]
The 2001-2002 Reprints ran copies of books 1-6 and 8 with the same artwork which appeared on the original books. In 2021 reprints were also issued with books 1-6 confirmed with brand new covers.
Starting in 2020, several early books in the series were adapted into Graphic Novels and released. The series started reprinting along side The Baby-Sitters Club as part of the 2020s Reprints.
Like The Baby-Sitters Club series, ghost writers eventually took over writing the series after Karen's Dinosaur.
Structure[]
Generally in chapter 2, Karen will narrate about her two families. This covers her parents remarriages and an introduction of who everyone is. She will narrate who each of her friends are. If book is set during the school year Karen describes a few of her classmates. This includes:
- After Karen's in Love, she mentions that she "married" Ricky on the playground
- Karen describes Bobby as a former bully who she is kind of friends with after Karen's Bully
- After the events of Karen's New Friend, Addie Sidney is a new student in Ms. Colman's class
- After the events of Karen's Sleepover, Pamela Harding is a new student and described as Karen's "best enemy"
- Natalie Springer is described as another glasses-wearer who sits in front with Karen.
List of Books[]
Regular Series[]
- Karen's Witch: Karen thinks her next door neighbor, Mrs. Porter, is a witch named Morbidda Destiny.
- Karen's Roller Skates: Karen breaks her wrist after losing her balance on her new roller skates and needs to get a cast.
- Karen's Worst Day: Karen has a terrible day.
- Karen's Kittycat Club: Karen thinks up a cat club and invites two friends to join. However, she forgets about Nancy and Nancy gets mad.
- Karen's School Picture: It's school picture day in two weeks but Karen has to get glasses.
- Karen's Little Sister: Karen loves her little sister Emily Michelle but sometimes Emily gets a lot of attention.
- Karen's Birthday: It's Karen's birthday! She can't wait for all those presents. Karen is even having two parties, one at Daddy's house and one at Mommy's. But what Karen really wants for her birthday is one party, with her whole family together.
- Karen's Haircut: Hannie is going to get married to a boy named Scott Hsu. Karen gets a haircut for it but Hannie doesn't like the hairstyle. Will Karen be able to be in the wedding still?
- Karen's Sleepover: Karen is going to have a sleepover and she invites all the girls in her class, including a new girl named Pamela who isn't fun to be around.
- Karen's Grandmothers: Karen has four grandmothers! When Ms. Colman tells her class that they are going to adopt a grandparent, she adopts a grandmother and now has five.
- Karen's Prize: Karen's class has a spelling bee and keeps winning in them. Everyone thinks that Karen is just showing off. Even Hannie and Nancy!
- Karen's Ghost: Karen and Kristy are sure the ghost of old Ben Brewer is haunting them.
- Karen's Surprise: All the students in Ms. Colman's class, including Karen, participate in a Thanksgiving play.
- Karen's New Year: Once Karen hears about New Year's resolutions, she makes sure everyone makes them and keeps theirs.
- Karen's in Love: Karen and Ricky like each other so much that they get married!
- Karen's Goldfish: Karen and her little brother have new pets, goldfish. Karen is thrilled to have a goldfish of her own, until it dies. She goes into mourning, wearing black Reeboks and a dark veil to school. She even plans an elaborate funeral. Then her neighbor, "the witch," does something to make her feel better.
- Karen's Brothers: Karen's stepbrothers, Charlie, Sam, and David Michael, pick on Karen now more than ever!
- Karen's Home Run : During practice for Kristy's Krushers, Karen hits a home run! But unfortunately for Karen, during games she is striking out a lot. How will she participate in the upcoming parade?
- Karen's Good-bye: Karen's friend Amanda Delaney moves away to another town! Will Karen ever see Amanda again?
- Karen's Carnival: Can Karen, Nancy, and Hannie run a carnival in Karen's front yard?
- Karen's New Teacher: Ms. Colman needs to go to the hospital and Mrs. Hoffman comes. Karen does not like her new teacher at first, and wants Ms. Colman to come back soon!
- Karen's Little Witch: Karen discovers Mrs. Porter has a granddaughter named Druscilla. Is she a witch, too?
- Karen's Doll: Karen gets a new doll from London. Then Nancy has to go to the hospital. So Karen sends her new doll for a visit and Nancy thinks she's for keeps!
- Karen's School Trip: Karen and her classmates are taking a field trip to the zoo!
- Karen's Pen Pal: Karen is excited about her new pen pal. She has lots of things to tell!
- Karen's Ducklings: Karen, Hannie, and Nancy see newborn ducklings and send them off with their mother.
- Karen's Big Joke: Karen plays jokes on everyone.
- Karen's Tea Party: Karen's dad thinks Karen and David Michael don't have manners, so he sends them off to a special school with manners.
- Karen's Cartwheel: Karen has to learn how to do a cartwheel for the big gymnastics presentation.
- Karen's Kittens: Karen finds a cat who is just about to have kittens, so Karen's lets the cat stay in the den. Then Karen tries to find homes for the kittens.
- Karen's Bully: A bully named Bobby Gianelli moves into Karen's neighborhood.
- Karen's Pumpkin Patch: Who will find the best pumpkin for Halloween? Will it be Karen?
- Karen's Secret: Natalie, a classmate of Karen, tells Karen a secret about herself. Soon, it gets passed to the entire class.
- Karen's Snow Day: Karen, Hannie, and Nancy enjoy a day off from school in the snow.
- Karen's Doll Hospital: Karen, Hannie, and Nancy start a doll hospital.
- Karen's New Friend: There's a new girl in Karen's class who needs to use a wheel chair. Karen thinks Addie is lonely, so she decides that Addie is her new best friend
- Karen's Tuba: Karen's class gets to learn how to play instruments. But then Karen is the very last person to get an instrument. What will she get?
- Karen's Big Lie: Karen copies off of Ricky's paper and then lies about it. Then the lie gets bigger and bigger.
- Karen's Wedding: Ms. Colman's getting married and Karen gets to be the flower girl until Mrs.Colman's niece comes. What will happen now?
- Karen's Newspaper: Karen, Hannie, and Nancy make a newspaper with stuff that they weren't supposed to know.
- Karen's School: Karen plays school with Andrew and Emily Michelle. But everyone thinks Karen is being mean.
- Karen's Pizza Party: After realizing what a show off she has been lately, Karen treats her class to a pizza party at Pizza Express!
- Karen's Toothache: Karen's tooth begins to hurt and at the dentist she realizes she has to have the tooth pulled!
- Karen's Big Weekend: Karen and her family go to New York City!
- Karen's Twin: Karen thought there was only ONE of herself! But Karen thinks wrong!
- Karen's Baby-sitter: Karen and Andrew's mother and stepfather hire a boy babysitter who they both enjoy.
- Karen's Kite: Karen's class has a class flying contest. Then Natalie and Karen have a fight. Everyone is on Natalie's side!
- Karen's Two Families: Karen and Andrew are sad that they only get to see their father and stepmother two weekends out of each month. So after a yes from both parents, they begin switching houses every other month.
- Karen's Stepmother: Karen's stepmother Elizabeth is mean and strict!
- Karen's Lucky Penny: Karen finds a penny on the sidewalk and uses it for luck. Later, Karen and her friends and little brother go to an amusement park, called Funland.
- Karen's Big Top: Karen's going to perform in the circus!
- Karen's Mermaid: Karen's little house family and the Pikes go to Sea City together. Karen gets together with Margo Pike. Karen tells her she saw a real mermaid so Margo and her brother Nicky and sister Vanessa play a trick on Karen by writing notes to her to make her think it was from a mermaid.
- Karen's School Bus: Karen rides the bus with Hannie now. But after throwing up the first day, Karen's nervous about riding school buses after almost everyone teases her.
- Karen's Candy: Karen and Hannie try to sell more candy for a school fundraiser than Pamela and Leslie.
- Karen's Magician: How many new tricks can Karen learn?
- Karen's Ice Skates: Karen can't wait until she and her friends can finally skate!
- Karen's School Mystery: There might be a thief in Karen's school!
- Karen's Ski Trip: Why can Andrew ski better than Karen?
- Karen's Leprechaun: Karen thinks that she saw a real leprechaun.
- Karen's Pony: Blueberry needs a friend like Karen!
- Karen's Tattletale: Karen's little brother Andrew is continuously tattling on Karen.
- Karen's New Bike: There are so many for Karen to choose from!
- Karen's Movie: Karen and her friends decide to make a movie.
- Karen's Lemonade Stand: Why won't anyone buy Karen's ice cold lemonade?
- Karen's Toys: Karen's mother and stepfather don't allow toy guns in the house, but she buys them for Andrew and herself to use at their father's house.
- Karen's Monsters: Karen doesn't believe in monsters until something happens.
- Karen's Turkey Day: Karen designs a turkey for Thanksgiving.
- Karen's Angel: She's beautiful to Karen, and at Christmas!
- Karen's Big Sister: Karen has her first argument with her big stepsister Kristy.
- Karen's Grandad: Karen realizes her grandfather is going to die and wants to spend more time with him before it happens.
- Karen's Island Adventure: What a summer for Karen!
- Karen's New Puppy: Karen's big-house family get a new puppy. She's cute, but a whole lot of trouble!
- Karen's Dinosaur: And Karen thought they were extinct!
- Karen's Softball Mystery: What's happening to Kristy's Krushers? It's up to Karen to find out!
- Karen's County Fair: Karen and her family go to a county fair!
- Karen's Magic Garden: Karen finds a pretty garden. Could it be magic?
- Karen's School Surprise: Something special happens in Karen's school!
- Karen's Half Birthday: Karen turns seven-and-a-half years old and wants to throw a "half" birthday party for herself.
- Karen's Big Fight: Karen argues with David Michael after he is briefly transferred to Stoneybrook Academy and put into Karen's class!
- Karen's Christmas Tree: Merry Christmas, Karen!
- Karen's Accident: Karen falls out of a treehouse and has a ruptured spleen and goes to the hospital. Will she be okay?
- Karen's Secret Valentine: Who is Karen's valentine? Is it Ricky? Bobby?
- Karen's Bunny: This bunny is a whole lot of trouble for Karen!
- Karen's Big Job: Looks like Karen's the boss for today!
- Karen's Treasure: Karen finds some buried treasure!
- Karen's Telephone Trouble: Karen is hogging up the phone at the big house.
- Karen's Pony Camp: Karen impresses Hannie and Nancy while at pony camp!
- Karen's Puppet Show: Karen's puppet show is supposed to be funny; however something goes wrong.
- Karen's Unicorn: Karen wonders if unicorns actually exist!
- Karen's Haunted House: Karen, Nancy, and Hannie have a spooky experience in a haunted house.
- Karen's Pilgrim: Is Karen's new friend a real pilgrim?
- Karen's Sleigh Ride: Faster, Karen! Go faster!
- Karen's Cooking Contest: Hey! What's Karen cooking?
- Karen's Snow Princess: At an ice skating show, Karen has the chance to meet the snow princess!
- Karen's Promise: Karen makes a big promise to Andrew that she doesn't want to break.
- Karen's Big Move: Karen's stepfather Seth gets a new job in Chicago and gives Karen the chance to say goodbye to her family and friends.
- Karen's Paper Route: It's a way for Karen to make money!
- Karen's Fishing Trip: Karen and her father go on a fishing trip, and Karen catches a huge fish!
- Karen's Big City Mystery: What's going on with Karen in Chicago?
- Karen's Book: Karen writes a book all about her life starting from when she was born.
- Karen's Chain Letter: Karen thought it brought GOOD luck!
- Karen's Black Cat: Karen's family adopts a black kitten.
- Karen's Movie Star: A movie star flies in from Hollywood, and Karen gets to meet her!
- Karen's Christmas Carol: Which carol will Karen sing?
- Karen's Nanny: Karen and Andrew want to have the perfect nanny while their mother and stepfather go out.
- Karen's President: Karen gets to meet the President of the United States!
- Karen's Copycat: Karen takes another student's pottery work and passes it off as her own.
- Karen's Field Day: For Karen, there will be many adventures this field day!
- Karen's Show and Share: Karen makes up a story for show and share at school so she'll have the perfect show and share.
- Karen's Swim Meet: Karen, Hannie and Nancy sign up for a swim meet.
- Karen's Spy Mystery: Something spooky is going on at Nancy's house, as Karen sees!
- Karen's New Holiday: Karen invents a new holiday called Augustania.
- Karen's Hurricane: A hurricane hits Stoneybrook and it's called Hurricane Karen!
- Karen's Chicken Pox: Karen catches the chicken pox from her little sister Emily Michelle soon before Halloween.
- Karen's Runaway Turkey: When Karen's class wins a real live turkey, they plan to make him a star of the school's Thanksgiving assembly. But when the big bird runs away from Karen's house, she's off on a wild turkey chase!
- Karen's Reindeer: When Karen spots a reindeer in her neighborhood, she makes up a special plan to reunite him with Santa.
- Karen's Mistake: Karen is having the time of her life at her family's New Year's Eve party, until she sees a gentleman kiss her grandmother on the cheek! Everyone else is happy that Nannie has a love interest, but Karen thinks it spells disaster.
- Karen's Figure Eight: Karen tries to make the perfect figure eight.
- Karen's Yo-Yo: Why can't Karen do it if everyone else can?
- Karen's Easter Parade: Karen is so excited! Her cousin Diana is coming to visit. But Diana has changed since Karen last saw her. Now she's into breaking rules and pushing limits. She seems to think that the local Easter parade is a contest, and she'll do anything to make her hat the best in town!
- Karen's Gift: Karen makes a gift for her mother.
- Karen's Cowboy: Karen realizes that her new friend is a real, live cowboy!
Super Specials[]
- Karen's Wish: Karen wishes for her grandmother Nannie to recover from her broken hip.
- Karen's Plane Trip : Karen gets to go on a plane trip to visit her grandparents all by herself.
- Karen's Mystery: Karen and Hannie think mysteries are fun until Karen's pet rat Emily Junior goes missing.
- Karen, Hannie, and Nancy: The Three Musketeers: Karen, Hannie, and Nancy want to have fun and spend the summer together.
- Karen's Baby: Nancy's baby brother Daniel is finally born! Karen is excited and Nancy does something special to Karen.
- Karen's Campout: Karen, Hannie, and Nancy go to Camp Mohawk and sleep outside with their bunkies.
Activity Books[]
- Jump Rope Rhymes
- Book of Laughs
- School Scrapbook
- Secret Diary
- Summer Fill-In Book
- Playground Games
- Photo Scrapbook
Recurring Characters[]
Family[]
- Andrew Brewer
- Watson Brewer
- Seth Engle
- Lisa Engle
- Elizabeth Brewer
- Kristy Thomas
- Charlie Thomas
- Sam Thomas
- David Michael Thomas
Friends
Classmates[]
Other People[]
Format[]
Each book follows a similar format to the Baby-Sitters Club series of books. The first chapter generally introduces the plot. The second chapter is where Karen gives her "backstory" and explaining her family. Early books might have the backstory in the first chapter. A select few have the backstory in the third chapter.