The Babysitter Series - R.L. Stine!
During the 90s, teen horror fiction was huge. Authors like R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike already had major hits, and Scholastic’s Point Horror was thriving. Recently, I’ve made it my personal mission to collect and read as many of the titles from the decade as possible. This month, for Horror Bound, I’m taking a look at The Babysitter series.
R.L. Stine is, without a doubt, the most recognizable name to emerge from the 90’s teen horror boom, and with good reason. Stine wrote several titles published under the Point Horror label, as well as his massively successful Goosebumps series for middle-grade readers and then the teen-focused series, Fear Street, which he still publishes titles to this day.
The Babysitter is a standalone series published under the Point Horror banner from 1989-1995. The four books follow the plight of teen heroine, Jenny Jeffers, as she takes a babysitting job that leads to a horrifying and traumatic incident. After the first book, the rest of the series largely focuses on Jenny’s reaction to that event, and the mental and emotional toll it has on her.
The first book sets up the parameters for the series. Lurking figures, scary sounds, creepy phone calls, and Jenny’s own paranoia and wild imagination are where most of the suspense come from. For the most part, Stine sticks to the established rules as he chronicle’s Jenny’s story. The continuity is good, and each edition adds more depth. Despite the success of building an original mythology, there are at least a couple of characters that drop out of the story with little to no explanation. A lot of the happenings in the books are repetitive, but necessary.
Even though The Babysitter is technically a series, readers can enjoy each book on its own merit. Each contains its own, unique story, while expanding and pushing the larger story forward. Book three, which features a bonkers and unexpected finale, is the biggest break from the norm, as it switches gears and introduces a new character who gets as much page time as Jenny. The fourth book brilliantly wraps up Jenny’s story in the form of a haunted house/ghost story.
I’m reluctant to name any one of the four books as “the best”. For me, the big reveal near the end of book three is the high point of the entire series., but there were other things early on that seemed a bit jumbled. In the end, book two walks away the winner. There, Jenny is traumatized after the events from the first book, and nearly everything she does is a reaction to what she’s been through. By setting up the first sequel in this manner, readers will find themselves eagerly flipping pages to find out what happens next.
Overall, R.L. Stine’s The Babysitter series is one not to miss. I recommend reading them back to back. With such a low word count, most readers should be able to finish each book within a couple of hours. I read all four books over a single weekend and had a blast. I went in with high expectations, as I’ve been told that The Babysitter is quintessential R.L. Stine/Point Horror. Well, I’m glad to report that my expectations were met and, in certain aspects, even exceeded.
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