It's odd how 80s/90s this book feels, very informed by Goosebumps and Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a strong side of Goonies and a dash of Gaiman's Last Temptation.

Nothing wrong with that, it's just disjointed and not as much fun as the things it seems to be borrowing heavily from.

This was fun! A library patron recommended it.

Summary: When Kelly loses a little boy to monsters who live under his bed during her first babysitting job, she learns about a secret society of babysitters who fight monsters.

** The copy I read was an advance reader copy I received from Edelweiss+ **

This was a fun and funny adventure story for middle-grade readers. It reminded me a bit of Buffy the Vampire Slayer but for a younger crowd. It had some of the same snark and humor combined with monsters and gooey creatures and exciting adventures but less death and scares. I quite enjoyed the characters, misfits who save the world (or at least save the children who may be important to the world -- Abe Lincoln is mentioned!) while still managing to attend school and hold down after-school jobs. The world-building was well-done but I would like to see some more background about the world where these monsters/creatures reside when not tormenting children. Hopefully there will be some of this in future books. I did find the romance side-story a bit unnecessary but I feel that way about most story romances and at least this one didn't take over too much of the book! The friendship between the babysitters did develop a bit too fast but I understand that there was only so much time story-wise to give the reader all the details. All in all, I enjoyed this book and plan to read future entries in this series. I would recommend this book to book clubs for children/young teens and to all children who enjoy fun, fast-paced monster stories with not too much gore!

A lot of fun. Both me and my teen enjoyed it. Buffy meets Babysitters Club.

This book is too much fun.

Still a fun read, but I feel like a little bit of magic from the first book was missing here. All of the character's motivations felt a little bit hollow and I wasn't as sold on the Boogey-person this go around. However, this was still a good sequel all things considered.

I wish that there would have been more of Liz in this book, and honestly just more of the other sitters in general. The teamwork aspect of the first book was part of what I loved so much. I think Ballarini was trying to keep them out to develop Kelly a bit more as a character and babysitter, but I missed our squad! We just got so emotionally invested in them during book 1 and they were mostly MIA here.

“Monsters are real. But so are we. And kid by kid, we’re going to change the world for the better. So stay safe. Stay brave. This job’s worth it. Trust me.”

This was a funny, relatable, smile-inducing triumph. From references to Korean soap operas and detailed monster guide entries, this book had me hooked from page 1. I didn’t put it down; I read the entire thing in one sitting. It’s that good.

It’s a fun romp through a carefully crafted universe where our babysitters are like ninja superheroes. I loved it. Ballarini gave this story amazing characters, monsters, and scenes. I can’t wait to read the next one!

This will definitely be recommended to all the kids in the library!

I absolutely loved this book, and I love this series! This story was everything I needed coming off of the disjointed friendships and lack of supporting characters from the second book. The sitters were back and working as a well-oiled team again. There was also an extra touch of macabre that I was really jiving with. Bravo, Joe.

The cast of monsters was phenomenal, particularly the Internet trolls, and the tie-in of the Baron and Serena was great. Overall, a smart, fully fleshed-out story that had me laughing out loud several times.

I’m shipping Kelly and Kevin so hard. Even their names sound cute together! I need Joe to give me the next book yesterday.

Watch out monsters, watch out Grand Guignol, these babysitters won't let you get away with your evil, vile plans!

Babysitters, just like cheerleaders, are often found in horror books and movies. Generally though they just die by the dozen in screams and blood. But not these babysitters. Oh no, these babysitters kick some serious butt and aren't afraid to face creepy monsters. Not if it means saving the kids they are babysitting (and some other kids if needed).

Our main girl is Kelly. She wants to go to some special camp but is out of ideas for how to earn money. She tried a lot of jobs, earned quite a bit of money, but the last stretches are the hardest. Thanks to a friend's suggestion she ends up as babysitter, and her first job... is with the son of her mother's boss. And if you think this is just going to be an easy night, think again. Not only do monsters have a party in this night of nights (Halloween, yay!), but the kid is also a tiny bit of a terror, well especially at first. :P
She quickly finds out that the monsters that Jacob draws... are real. And they are coming for him.
I just adored Kelly, she didn't go into (instant) superhero mode when she found out what was going on, she didn't totally give up when Liz kept being a bitch towards her. She just stayed the same, and that was cause for some hilarity as she kept thinking about her crush. Oh hey, I am in the middle of a chase after some great creepy dude, but OMG my crush. And she also keeps thinking about the camp. I loved how quickly Kelly picked up the pace, how she tried to learn and help Liz, help the tiny kids who were being terrorised by scary monsters from down below. Even later she becomes even more awesome, and I also have a feeling, thanks to certain things happening in the later chapters + the ending, that there is much more to Kelly than meets the eye. And I can't wait for the next book and to hopefully see things happening.

Liz. Ah, Liz. The character I just kept hoping would just get eaten or kidnapped or something else. We do get a background story on her, and why she is so utterly terrible towards people, but really? It didn't lessen my frustration and my dislike. She kept being dismissive of Kelly, she keeps being a total bitch just because Kelly acts like a normal girl, even in the most scariest of moments. Every time Kelly is crushing or thinking about the camp she gets shot down by Liz immediately in the most bitchiest way. Geez Louis, girl, get your head out of your butt. Kelly is doing her best, but hey, just a few hours ago she was a normal girl, just doing her normal day to day things. You can't expect everyone to just jump in line and act the way you want them to.
There were a few moments were I did like her, but mostly? Mostly, I just wished she would get eaten.

I loved that this book took place during one day, one night. It really made everything more exciting, they had a time limit, they had to race to make sure everything was going to be OK.

There are also parts about the monsters with pictures and stories (from the guide), and I quite liked that those were added. Plus the monsters also got a POV a few times, and since I quite like the monsters I was happy to see them pop up.

Yep, I have a confession. The Grand Guignol is a creature of nightmares, a creature you don't want to meet in a dark alley. But really? The guy was just too awesome. I had a laugh at how he acted, how silly he was. He was a villain, so I couldn't just root for him, but I just couldn't resist. The guy was just too fabulous. Too grand.

We also have other characters and I quite liked them. Of course it is a little early for me to say more, because we only see them a few times, but I have a feeling that they will become favourites. :)

The illustrations are a nice touch, and I love the style and how well it fits with the feeling this book gives. The cat lady was positively scary as hell (I could already envision her with the descriptions given but the image really completed it).

All in all, I can't wait for the next book. If they are going to do a book per Boogeyman I guess we are in for a ride. There are 7 of them in total (at least from what the babysitters found so far). The next book will be about Serena.

I would highly recommend this fun book. It has some hilarious moments, it is creepy, it has a bit of romance (which fits like a glove), great characters, a fun villain (I know, I know, I shouldn't like the villains, but I can't help it).

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

The Babysitter's Club meets Goosebumps (with a much greater word count) - should be a good fit for readers in the target group who enjoy age-appropriate horror with a dose of humor.