High school student Jenny Jeffers gets a job with the Hagen family to babysit their young son, Donny. Donny looks like an angel, and is cute as a button, and Jenny takes the job seeing as her and her mother need the money.
Around town, there have been some vicious attacks on babysitters, but Jenny cannot dwell on this, no matter how much her overactive imagination wants to go there. The new boy at school, Chuck , the class clown, seems to be interested in her, and she likes him, too. But being the girl that she is, she is not overly interested or intent on finding out more. Her best friend, Laura, is rather pushy about Chuck with Jenny.
Jenny starts her new job at the Hagens, and on the first night, she gets a strange call, and knocking on the door and threats. It scares her something silly, and she does not know what to do. However, she feels that she can do this, and returns. Each time Jenny goes back the threats are getting worse. She does not want to tell Mr Hagen, as he is an excitable and paranoid man. She can only imagine how much this would freak him out.
Between all this, Jenny is dealing with the creepy neighbour alongside the Hagens, Mr Willers. He creeps around the yard, scares Jenny, and just overall gives her the chills. Jenny’s job seems doomed when Laura invites a friend over with her and Chuck to visit Jenny at her job one night.
The threats are still not stopping, and Jenny is terrified. It seems that some sick psycho is intent on scaring her to death, or giving her a heart attack of note. Worse yet, he really might be coming for her, and any night could be her last night on Earth for all she knows.
Granted, it is a book aimed at young adults, but there were just too many things that worked against it for me. The story did not exactly flow, and it was written (at the time it was probably great for its audience) in a way that didn’t gel too well. The story was flimsy and at times even downright childish, and reaction to the situations simply ludicrous at the best of times. It is a fast read that does not require too many functioning braincells. At only 167 pages, and a decently sized font, it is a breeze. The Baby-sitter was not particularly disturbing, or thought provoking at all. I do think that as a kid it is more frightening, and due to lack of life experience, possibly more realistic. I used to enjoy R.L. Stine books as a kid, I used to consume as many of them as I could lay my hands on in my library, but then I got older and met Stephen King. Granted, the two do not compare, but still, the bar has been set.
The Sporadic Chronicles 
Although I do not read much anymore (I know, this is bad and it stings to admit), R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps were the shit! I crammed those things down like they were fudge strudels. Whatever those are. They just sound good. But now, I’d have to say that yes, Stephen King is pretty much an R.L. Stine for more matured intellect.I have only seen I think two movies that have been adapted from his works. . . .lol. and with that incriminating admission, I shall exit. . . {*))}
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Damn straight! I read them all when I was a kid! His YA books were a little more suspect though…
Teehee, I don’t think I ever have seen anything based on his works! I take it that it is that bad?
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