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The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novels #5
Dawn and the Impossible Three: A Graphic Novel
Dawn Schafer is the newest member of The Baby-sitters Club. While she's still adjusting to life in Stoneybrook after moving from sunny California, she's eager to accept her first big job. But taking care of the three Barrett kids would be too much for any baby-sitter. The house is always a mess, the kids are out of control, and Mrs. Barrett never does any of the things she promises. On top of all that, Dawn wants to fit in with the other members of the BSC, but she can't figure out how to get along with Kristy. Was joining The Baby-sitters Club a mistake?
150 pages, Paperback
First published September 26, 2017
1583 people are currently reading
8536 people want to read
About the author
Gale Galligan
30 books444 followersGale Galligan is a New York Times bestselling cartoonist and shrimp chip enthusiast. They’re known for their four BABY-SITTERS CLUB graphic novel adaptations. You can also spot them in The Claudia Kishi Club, a wonderful short documentary on Netflix.
Gale holds an MFA in Sequential Art from the Savannah College of Art and Design. When they aren’t making comics, Gale enjoys knitting, reading, and spending time with their roomies: Lemon the leopard gecko, rabbits Dipper and Penny, Patrick the husband, and Robin the child. They live in Rockland County, New York.
Gale holds an MFA in Sequential Art from the Savannah College of Art and Design. When they aren’t making comics, Gale enjoys knitting, reading, and spending time with their roomies: Lemon the leopard gecko, rabbits Dipper and Penny, Patrick the husband, and Robin the child. They live in Rockland County, New York.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 612 reviews
September 25, 2018
kids won't notice that this isn't by telgemeier and will still love it. as a bsc lover and purist, though, I was a little confused by this book. for some reason they decided to combine Dawn and the Impossible Three with Hello, Mallory. both of those books have enough action and enough that is compelling that they merit their own books. the big problem with including aspects of hello, mallory in this book is that they completely ignore the jessi parts of that story. I know that taking jessi out makes the hello, mallory story short enough to fit into this book, but it just feels like taking out a character of color in this vastly predominantly white book.
edit, after meeting and chatting with gale galligan about this book...
since raina telgemeier hinted at mal joining the bsc in the previous book, scholastic thought that plotline should be incorporated into this book. scholastic and galligan are working on the best way to introduce jessi in a way that is thoughtful and sensitive (and not just give her the crappy first plotline she got in the original bsc series, where basically all her neighbors were super racist to her family, because it was the 80s and writers thought that all black character storylines had to be about that). I trust they'll do a good job!
edit, after meeting and chatting with gale galligan about this book...
since raina telgemeier hinted at mal joining the bsc in the previous book, scholastic thought that plotline should be incorporated into this book. scholastic and galligan are working on the best way to introduce jessi in a way that is thoughtful and sensitive (and not just give her the crappy first plotline she got in the original bsc series, where basically all her neighbors were super racist to her family, because it was the 80s and writers thought that all black character storylines had to be about that). I trust they'll do a good job!
March 10, 2021
Dawn is the newest member of the baby-sitters club. She moved here with her mother and brother not that long ago. Since moving, her mother and Mary Anne's father have been going out and it's going well.
Dawn goes for her baby-sitting job and the Barrett family is all out of control. Mrs. Barrett leaves out the door as soon as Dawn gets there and she leaves no instructions or phone numbers and the house is all disarray. Dawn manages the situation but it becomes a regular occurrence.
Meanwhile, the baby-sitters club puts Mallory on the trial and she proves to be a good baby-sitter. Kristy might be moving and she isn't happy about it. But as always, Kristy comes with an idea that might just let her continue to be a part of the club.
Another quick, enjoyable read in this series.
4 stars
Dawn goes for her baby-sitting job and the Barrett family is all out of control. Mrs. Barrett leaves out the door as soon as Dawn gets there and she leaves no instructions or phone numbers and the house is all disarray. Dawn manages the situation but it becomes a regular occurrence.
Meanwhile, the baby-sitters club puts Mallory on the trial and she proves to be a good baby-sitter. Kristy might be moving and she isn't happy about it. But as always, Kristy comes with an idea that might just let her continue to be a part of the club.
Another quick, enjoyable read in this series.
4 stars
September 1, 2022
Dawn is the newest member of the baby-sitters club. She moved here with her mother and brother not that long ago. Since moving, her mother and Mary Anne's father have been going out and it's going well.
Dawn goes for her baby-sitting job and the Barrett family is all out of control. Mrs. Barrett leaves out the door as soon as Dawn gets there and she leaves no instructions or phone numbers and the house is all disarray. Dawn manages the situation but it becomes a regular occurrence.
Meanwhile, the baby-sitters club puts Mallory on the trial and she proves to be a good baby-sitter. Kristy might be moving and she isn't happy about it. But as always, Kristy comes with an idea that might just let her continue to be a part of the club.
Another quick, enjoyable read in this series.
4 stars
Dawn goes for her baby-sitting job and the Barrett family is all out of control. Mrs. Barrett leaves out the door as soon as Dawn gets there and she leaves no instructions or phone numbers and the house is all disarray. Dawn manages the situation but it becomes a regular occurrence.
Meanwhile, the baby-sitters club puts Mallory on the trial and she proves to be a good baby-sitter. Kristy might be moving and she isn't happy about it. But as always, Kristy comes with an idea that might just let her continue to be a part of the club.
Another quick, enjoyable read in this series.
4 stars
September 30, 2019
RATING: 4 STARS
(Review Not on Blog)
As a kid I LOVED the Baby-Sitters Club and would often spend hours scouring the library for the next title. Honestly, I probably read the series longer than I should have (reading level-wise), but it always felt like visiting friends. While I have never wanted to be a babysitter, I loved the club idea. As a bossy creative kid this was right up my alley. The friendships in this book was something I had always wanted. This was a series I grew up with and was my favourite for a long time. Confession time, I may have had a bit of a crush on Logan.
I was working at the library and saw that this graphic novel come in while I checked material in. I was excited to see that Baby-Sitters Club was being introduced to another generation. I thumbed through the book and saw this was the same story with a few updates. While usually I am not a fan of updating original stories (as it gives us the time and place when something was first written), I was okay with this series being updated. Moving this novelized book into a graphic novel made it easier to accept new changes.
I would definitely recommend this one to those who once enjoyed reading BSC in the past. This is also great read for young girls between 9-12.
Another great instalment in the series - this time we get more about Dawn and how she comes to terms with three out of control kids.
(Review Not on Blog)
As a kid I LOVED the Baby-Sitters Club and would often spend hours scouring the library for the next title. Honestly, I probably read the series longer than I should have (reading level-wise), but it always felt like visiting friends. While I have never wanted to be a babysitter, I loved the club idea. As a bossy creative kid this was right up my alley. The friendships in this book was something I had always wanted. This was a series I grew up with and was my favourite for a long time. Confession time, I may have had a bit of a crush on Logan.
I was working at the library and saw that this graphic novel come in while I checked material in. I was excited to see that Baby-Sitters Club was being introduced to another generation. I thumbed through the book and saw this was the same story with a few updates. While usually I am not a fan of updating original stories (as it gives us the time and place when something was first written), I was okay with this series being updated. Moving this novelized book into a graphic novel made it easier to accept new changes.
I would definitely recommend this one to those who once enjoyed reading BSC in the past. This is also great read for young girls between 9-12.
Another great instalment in the series - this time we get more about Dawn and how she comes to terms with three out of control kids.
February 9, 2021
It’s the BSC adventure where Dawn gets away with being super judgy about how a BSC client lives her life. Single parent, Mrs Barrett, is desperately trying to keep her family afloat - caring for three kids under 10, job hunting, managing a messy divorce. So what if the house is kinda messy? Okay, so it’s very messy but the poor woman is dealing with a lot. Let’s cut her some slack.
Usually I try to read the graphic novel as soon as I’ve finished the book. I was unable to jump the library queue so the people who actually reserved this graphic novel before me got to read it first (shock horror!) so it’s been several weeks since I read the book. I still remember the basics fairly well but the differences I would usually point out between book and graphic novel have faded from my mind. So I’ll just focus on the two big ones.
Book: Mallory is more than capable of helping out but she’s still counted as one of the kids the BSC babysit.
Graphic Novel: The beginning of the graphic novel marks the first day that Mallory is a BSC Junior Member. The BSC meeting that afternoon is when the great interrogation of Mallory’s knowledge of anything even remotely related to babysitting takes place.
My currently unresolved question: How is book #14, Hello, Mallory, going to be adapted to a graphic novel if the main plot point has already happened?
Book: Mimi is all good.
Graphic Novel: Janine is helping Mimi with her flash cards.
I’m guessing this is different because book #7, Claudia and Mean Janine, was graphic novel #4. Why has this series been adapted out of order?
I’ve actually been avoiding reading #7 because I’m not ready to face the rest of Mimi’s story yet. I’ll try to summon some brave in the near future.
On a happier note, I finally got to see the bizzer sign, which the Pike kids invented, in action. It was worth the wait, although (just between you and I) it doesn’t look quite as trauma inducing as I’d hoped.
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Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com
Usually I try to read the graphic novel as soon as I’ve finished the book. I was unable to jump the library queue so the people who actually reserved this graphic novel before me got to read it first (shock horror!) so it’s been several weeks since I read the book. I still remember the basics fairly well but the differences I would usually point out between book and graphic novel have faded from my mind. So I’ll just focus on the two big ones.
Book: Mallory is more than capable of helping out but she’s still counted as one of the kids the BSC babysit.
Graphic Novel: The beginning of the graphic novel marks the first day that Mallory is a BSC Junior Member. The BSC meeting that afternoon is when the great interrogation of Mallory’s knowledge of anything even remotely related to babysitting takes place.
My currently unresolved question: How is book #14, Hello, Mallory, going to be adapted to a graphic novel if the main plot point has already happened?
Book: Mimi is all good.
Graphic Novel: Janine is helping Mimi with her flash cards.
I’m guessing this is different because book #7, Claudia and Mean Janine, was graphic novel #4. Why has this series been adapted out of order?
I’ve actually been avoiding reading #7 because I’m not ready to face the rest of Mimi’s story yet. I’ll try to summon some brave in the near future.
On a happier note, I finally got to see the bizzer sign, which the Pike kids invented, in action. It was worth the wait, although (just between you and I) it doesn’t look quite as trauma inducing as I’d hoped.
[image error]
Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com
February 10, 2018
I’m so sad that I’ve finished this series for now - until the July release. I have been enjoying this series so much. The girls are responsible and deal with some serious issues.
I will admit I don’t like Gale’s art quite as much as Raina’s, but this was still really cute and I can’t wait to read the next one.
I will admit I don’t like Gale’s art quite as much as Raina’s, but this was still really cute and I can’t wait to read the next one.
June 30, 2017
Yay! The graphic novel adaptations of the Baby-Sitters Club series continue with a new comic artist, Gale Galligan. She has a very similar style as Telgemeier's (and worked as a production assistant on Telgemeier's DRAMA) and kids will love her adaptations, too. Put this on your radar because kids will want it! (Coming in Sept.)
February 26, 2019
Another winner in the Baby-Sitters Graphic evolution, however, they switched artists for this one. This book was translated into graphics by Gale Galligan, and while I liked the newer artwork, my son said he preferred Raina Telgemeier because her art is "more cartoony." To each their own, right?
Again, this book touches on some pretty serious stuff. A negligent mother going through a rough divorce. A baby-sitting charge goes missing, and the usual, Kristy is feeling left out because when her mom marries Watson, she's going to have to move to the "rich neighborhood." Meanwhile, Dawn and Mary Anne are becoming closer friends as their parents' relationship blossoms.
It's never a slow day in Stonybrook, CT. To be continued...
Again, this book touches on some pretty serious stuff. A negligent mother going through a rough divorce. A baby-sitting charge goes missing, and the usual, Kristy is feeling left out because when her mom marries Watson, she's going to have to move to the "rich neighborhood." Meanwhile, Dawn and Mary Anne are becoming closer friends as their parents' relationship blossoms.
It's never a slow day in Stonybrook, CT. To be continued...
January 13, 2018
It was great to see the characters and how their individual stories are progressing, along with how their friendships are growing and changing. And just like in the other books in the series, the girls have to tackle some heavy stuff. This volume highlighted the dangers of babysitting and I appreciated how it discussed the difference between babysitting and parenting. This series doesn't get enough hype!
March 30, 2024
This was so much fun to read. It was interesting aspect of how divorce impacts children in a variety of ways. Also it was interesting to see how Dawn handled very critical conversations with adults as well. These young girls are so mature and responsible. But those kids were bad..LOL
June 18, 2019
[4.5 stars] Really enjoyed the variety of panel work throughout this installment, as well as the use of inner monologue segments--I also appreciated how the story dipped into heavier topics. Hope Scholastic keeps producing these adaptations forever tbh.
November 17, 2020
CWs: child abduction, child neglect, custody violation, difficult divorce, emotional breakdown, emotional parentification, exclusion, moving away, parentification
*TRIGGER WARNING: child parentification*
First of all, I would like to write an apology to Gale Galligan. I originally shunned her adaptations thinking that I would never enjoy a BSC graphic novel that wasn’t illustrated by Raina Telgemeier. Of course, I was super wrong. Gale Galligan’s illustrations are so filled with life and expression. I laughed every time she drew the characters’ faces to look like emojis or memes. I can also say that I enjoyed this art style even more than the previous graphic novels. Galligan has 110% won me over.
Art aside, this book is a heavy hitter. I’ve experienced firsthand how it feels as a child to be put into a parental role when the actual parent is being neglectful. When young children bypass their real parents for the underage parent stand-in for things like homework and emotional support, it gets tough to advocate for your needs. When you love the children you care for, it is hard to set boundaries, even when the work is eating you up and wearing you down. Dawn learns this the hard way. When you love the children you care for, you see that they have emotional needs that aren’t being filled, and all you want to do is take care of them even when you shouldn’t. When I got older, I learned to say “no,” in spite of the consequences. Dawn is privileged for being able to recognize right away that the situation she is put into is unhealthy (for her and the Barrett children) and she is even more privileged to be able to say “No” and stand up for herself.
I’m so proud of Dawn for setting boundaries. By standing up for herself, she stood up for people like me, who were coerced into a parental role too soon. We are worth more than what we can give to other people. Dawn knows this to be true, so maybe I can start believing it.
*TRIGGER WARNING: child parentification*
First of all, I would like to write an apology to Gale Galligan. I originally shunned her adaptations thinking that I would never enjoy a BSC graphic novel that wasn’t illustrated by Raina Telgemeier. Of course, I was super wrong. Gale Galligan’s illustrations are so filled with life and expression. I laughed every time she drew the characters’ faces to look like emojis or memes. I can also say that I enjoyed this art style even more than the previous graphic novels. Galligan has 110% won me over.
Art aside, this book is a heavy hitter. I’ve experienced firsthand how it feels as a child to be put into a parental role when the actual parent is being neglectful. When young children bypass their real parents for the underage parent stand-in for things like homework and emotional support, it gets tough to advocate for your needs. When you love the children you care for, it is hard to set boundaries, even when the work is eating you up and wearing you down. Dawn learns this the hard way. When you love the children you care for, you see that they have emotional needs that aren’t being filled, and all you want to do is take care of them even when you shouldn’t. When I got older, I learned to say “no,” in spite of the consequences. Dawn is privileged for being able to recognize right away that the situation she is put into is unhealthy (for her and the Barrett children) and she is even more privileged to be able to say “No” and stand up for herself.
I’m so proud of Dawn for setting boundaries. By standing up for herself, she stood up for people like me, who were coerced into a parental role too soon. We are worth more than what we can give to other people. Dawn knows this to be true, so maybe I can start believing it.
May 24, 2020
I read this fully this morning! Second time reading and it still held my attention. I love this and recommend for all ages... anyone should read this as soon as they learn to read this level. 100% clean... now all I gotta do is get my sister to read this... lol.
January 11, 2021
Cute. It's a re-read, and I only re-read it because I was bored. Nevertheless it was an enjoyable and cute story with great illustrations. I kind of miss Raina Telgemeier's art and writing but I enjoy Gale Galligan's work as well.
October 11, 2017
BSC 4-eva 😍
January 4, 2025
i really liked the art style in this one! i feel like it was more mature than the others as well ☝️🤓
March 12, 2021
there is a person named Dawn and she is baby sitting three kids . Her mom is getting married to her friends dad .They are very excited for the wedding .
October 2, 2017
If you were worried about the switch in artists for this series, I have to say that Gale Galligan makes an excellent replacement with art that is full of energy! I am still enjoying the subtle changes to the stories to make them fit in 2017. This particular volume about Dawn was an excellent story about fostering resilience and maturity in younger girls. Dawn found herself in a difficult situation with a new babysitting job, and she had to take on a lot of responsibilities that were unfair. Not only did she rise to the occasion, she was able to stand up for herself and say that these things were not okay to an adult! I appreciated that the book dealt with the idea that adults make mistakes and are not always right without requiring Dawn to take on adult responsibilities forever. A fun, short read that's great for tweens!
October 5, 2017
It's just not the same without Raina. This isn't bad, but the spark of the earlier volumes is gone. Partly, that may be due to the really heavy subject matter of this particular outing, as it deals with the fallout of a nasty divorce and fractures within the Baby-Sitters Club. Also, the cast seems to be growing too fast and some core members of the club get pretty much ignored this time. I'd certainly give Galligan's work another try if she sticks around for volume six, but in glancing at Wikipedia I'm worried at how long I'll stay interested as Martin's novel series seems to expand the club to quite an unmanageable size.
May 26, 2021
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, this is mine.
I'm not going to go in depth and analyze a children's novel, breaking it apart. This was just an enjoyable read to reach my gr yearly goal and get myself out of a reading slump. It was just really nostalgic because I adored the Baby-Sitter's club as a kid.
I actually tried to collect the entire series and most of my books are falling apart as we speak. I failed, I only collected 10 of them.
I loved the drawings, the style gave me a major raina telegemeier vibe, that I didn't even notice it wasn't by her.
Anyways read it just for the adorable drawing style.
I'm not going to go in depth and analyze a children's novel, breaking it apart. This was just an enjoyable read to reach my gr yearly goal and get myself out of a reading slump. It was just really nostalgic because I adored the Baby-Sitter's club as a kid.
I actually tried to collect the entire series and most of my books are falling apart as we speak. I failed, I only collected 10 of them.
I loved the drawings, the style gave me a major raina telegemeier vibe, that I didn't even notice it wasn't by her.
Anyways read it just for the adorable drawing style.
April 4, 2021
Cute story. I love these graphic novels.
April 26, 2024
Les sujets sérieux pour des enfants, mais importante. Et c'est similare aux BDs de Telgemeier.
July 19, 2017
Those who adore the Babysitters Club graphic novels have something to cheer about: a fifth title in this ever popular series. Dawn, the newest member of the club, accepts a job babysitting at the Barrett's, where the kids are off the wall and the place is a mess. Dawn has to decide how to talk to Mrs. Barrett about the mayhem. She also has to contend with an increasingly grumpy Kristy, who is president of the club. Although the four previous books in the series were written and illustrated by superstar Raina Telgemeier, Gale Galligan does a great job of portraying the drama and challenges of the girls in the club, and her wonderful illustrations seem very close to those in the previous four books.
July 10, 2020
One of our favorites in the series. Dawn is having a lot of trouble with the impossible three and the incredible and irresponsible mom that doesn't even give Dawn the most basic instructions. The police will eventually be involved and Dawn will find her courage to speak up.
We have a new graphic artist on this one, Gale Galligan. It takes a while to get used to the new drawings, but her work is good. I was just a bit distracted by the open mouths, which looked to me like moustaches. My daughter doesn't think so, though.
This is a fantastic series.
We have a new graphic artist on this one, Gale Galligan. It takes a while to get used to the new drawings, but her work is good. I was just a bit distracted by the open mouths, which looked to me like moustaches. My daughter doesn't think so, though.
This is a fantastic series.
June 2, 2018
This was my favorite of the first group of books in the original series. It was lovely to revisit it in a new form, but I much preferred the images of them on the original covers to the graphic novel versions. Still, if it's this or not reading the series at all, certainly a young person should read this. The charm is retained and my love of Dawn remains.
December 6, 2017
Professional Review written for WASHYARG:
Dawn is one of the newest members of The Babysitter’s Club, and she’s still trying to prove her worth. For some reason, the club’s founder and president, Kristy, doesn’t seem to like her that much. To make matters worse, Dawn has started to babysit for the Barrett’s. The kids themselves are wild enough – but their mom is the real problem. In this fifth installment of the Baby-Sitter’s Club graphic novel series, cartoonist Gale Galligan gracefully takes over for Raina Telgemeier. Her art style holds its own, but won’t distract or disappoint lovers of the original four books. The story itself has surprising depth. Dawn struggles with standing up for herself when the mother of her babysitting charges is neglectful to the point of danger (at one point, Dawn almost feeds one of the kids chocolate without knowing they are allergic). Her eventual ability to face this complicated conundrum is empowering and inspiring, and makes this comic appropriate for anyone from 3rd-7th grade. A must-purchase for libraries where the rest of the series is popular.
Dawn is one of the newest members of The Babysitter’s Club, and she’s still trying to prove her worth. For some reason, the club’s founder and president, Kristy, doesn’t seem to like her that much. To make matters worse, Dawn has started to babysit for the Barrett’s. The kids themselves are wild enough – but their mom is the real problem. In this fifth installment of the Baby-Sitter’s Club graphic novel series, cartoonist Gale Galligan gracefully takes over for Raina Telgemeier. Her art style holds its own, but won’t distract or disappoint lovers of the original four books. The story itself has surprising depth. Dawn struggles with standing up for herself when the mother of her babysitting charges is neglectful to the point of danger (at one point, Dawn almost feeds one of the kids chocolate without knowing they are allergic). Her eventual ability to face this complicated conundrum is empowering and inspiring, and makes this comic appropriate for anyone from 3rd-7th grade. A must-purchase for libraries where the rest of the series is popular.
April 20, 2018
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5 stars
✔️a book with a time of day in the title
So heartwarming! Such nostalgia. Super cute illos!
✔️a book with a time of day in the title
So heartwarming! Such nostalgia. Super cute illos!
January 20, 2018
I liked this, even with the change of illustrators. The drama didn't seem as intense in this one as it did in some of the others. Still a cute story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 612 reviews