Kristy's Great Idea

Kristy is the protagonist and narrator of the first novel in the Baby-Sitters Club series, and she is also the founder and president of the club. Kristy’s “great idea” occurs when she notices her mother’s stress one night when she is trying to find a sitter for David Michael at the last minute. Kristy decides that a Baby-Sitters Club will help parents in the community find sitters more easily, while also giving her and her friends an opportunity to run their own business.

Kristy experiences a lot of Self-Growth Through Responsibility and Agency over the course of the narrative. Throughout the early parts of the novel, she sometimes forgets about having to watch David Michael, and she gets into trouble or hurts others’ feelings by impulsively saying whatever is on her mind. As Kristy admits at the novel’s opening, “I think of something to say, and I say it. I think of something to do and I do it. Mom calls it impulsive. Sometimes she calls it trouble” (2). Kristy gradually learns the meaning of decorum and sensitivity, and through her mistakes, she becomes a better person. She realizes that Stacey might have a secret for a reason and that she does not need to say everything she thinks.