Martin, Ann M. (1955-…), an American author of children’s books, is best known for the “Baby-Sitters Club” series. Martin created the series with the American editor Jean Feiwel and wrote many of the stories. The books became so popular that Martin developed several new “Baby-Sitters” series based on the original. There are more than 200 books in the combined series.
The “Baby-Sitters Club” stories center on four seventh-grade girls—Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey. They operate a baby-sitting service in the fictional town of Stoneybrook, Connecticut. The original series began with Kristy’s Great Idea (1986) and ended with Graduation Day (2000). The stories are mostly light-hearted. However, Martin sometimes explores serious issues, such as the death of a grandparent. Other series by Martin include “Baby-Sitters Little Sister,” “Baby-Sitters Club Mysteries,” “The Kids in Ms. Colman’s Class,” and “California Diaries.” Martin also wrote Rain Reign (2014), about an 11-year-old girl with autism. Autism is a disorder characterized by limited ability to communicate and interact with other people. Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Whatever Cure (2016), illustrated by Ben Hatke, is a contemporary follow-up to the “Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle” children’s series begun in 1947 by the American author Betty MacDonald, written with MacDonald’s great-granddaughter, Annie Parnell. With Laura Godwin, Martin also wrote the holiday picture book The Doll People’s Christmas (illustrated by Brett Helquist, 2016).
Martin has also written novels for older readers, such as Belle Teal (2001), A Corner of the Universe (2002), and Ten Rules for Living with My Sister (2011). Other novels for older readers include P.S. Longer Letter Later (1998) and its sequel, Snail Mail No More (2000), both written with the American children’s author Paula Danziger.
Ann Matthews Martin was born Aug. 12, 1955, in Princeton, New Jersey. She received a B.A. degree from Smith College in 1977. She wrote an autobiography with the American author Margot R. Becker for young readers, Ann M. Martin: The Story of the Author of the Baby-Sitters Club (1993).
