<P> The Baby - Sitters Club (also known as BSC) is a series of novels written by Ann M. Martin and published by Scholastic between 1986 and 2000, that sold 176 million copies . Martin wrote the first 35 books in the series, but the subsequent novels were written by ghostwriters, such as Peter Lerangis and many uncredited others . </P> <P> The BSC series is about a group of friends, girls between 11 and 13 years old, who live in the fictional, suburban town of Stoneybrook, Connecticut . These friends run a local babysitting service called the "Baby - Sitters Club ." The original four members were Kristy (founder and president), Mary Anne (secretary), Claudia (vice-president), and Stacey (treasurer), but the total number of BSC members varies throughout the series . The books are told in first - person narrative from the perspective of the character named in the title who will confront common problems such as illness, sibling rivalry, peer conflicts, jealousy, and parents' divorce and remarriage . </P>

When did the babysitters club books come out