Publisher: Delacourte Press
Date of publication: September 2019
Adventures in Babysitting meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this funny, action-packed novel about a coven of witchy babysitters who realize their calling to protect the innocent and save the world from an onslaught of evil.
Seventeen-year-old Esme Pearl has a babysitters club. She knows it's kinda lame, but what else is she supposed to do? Get a job? Gross. Besides, Esme likes babysitting, and she's good at it.
And lately Esme needs all the cash she can get, because it seems like destruction follows her wherever she goes. Let's just say she owes some people a new tree.
Enter Cassandra Heaven. She's Instagram-model hot, dresses like she found her clothes in a dumpster, and has a rebellious streak as gnarly as the cafeteria food. So why is Cassandra willing to do anything, even take on a potty-training two-year-old, to join Esme's babysitters club?
The answer lies in a mysterious note Cassandra's mother left her: "Find the babysitters. Love, Mom."
Turns out, Esme and Cassandra have more in common than they think, and they're about to discover what being a babysitter really means: a heroic lineage of superpowers, magic rituals, and saving the innocent from seriously terrifying evil. And all before the parents get home.
Back in the day, I was a huge Buffy fan. (OK...I still am) So when I saw this synopsis, I knew I had to give it a try. Esme is a great babysitter. She and her friend are the best in town and make good money doing it. When a new girl shows up at school and wants into their "club" things start to get strange.
I wouldn't say this was necessarily a YA. It read more like a middle grade book or a younger YA. I think that demographic will think this was a lot of fun. As for me, I thought it was cute. The characters were funny and interesting. There were some great one-liners and I did laugh in a few places. I liked that Esme and her friend had their own style. Overall, it was a cute read.
What brought my rating down to about 3 stars was the blatant rip-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer but with demons not vampires...right down to town having its very own Hellmouth and a Watcher. I mean, the show is referenced in the book several times. I guess if it's mentioned, that makes it OK? I wanted something original, like a new twist. But, it just wasn't there. I also feel that the author needs to spend some time with actual teens. They don't speak using acronyms. I know because I have one and I asked her. So that didn't feel authentic and took me out of the story.
I would probably recommend this to middle grade level readers. I think it could be a fun introduction into the paranormal genre. I may pick up the next one to see the fallout of the events of this one.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I was really interested in this one. I'll still give it a try, but it's so disappointing to hear that it ripped off some major aspects of Buffy.
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