The Babysitter (novel)

"The Babysitter" is a novel by R. L. Stine published in 1989, which helped to establish Stine as a prominent author in the children's horror genre. [cite book |title=The Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature |last=Cullinan |first=Bernice E. |coauthors=Person, Diane G. |year=2003 |publisher=Continuum InternationalPublishing Group |isbn=0826415164 |pages=p. 753 |url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Im_I_7j4VDcC&pg=PA753&dq=%22the+Babysitter%22+%2Bstine&num=100&sig=niCe1_AymWscVAEwofLlwbcLGNg#PPA753,M1 ] It was listed as the 37th most enjoyable book for girls in a 1997 survey on literacy. [cite book |title=Differently Literate: Boys, Girls and the Schooling of Literacy |last=Millard |first=Elaine |year=1997 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0750706619 |pages=192 |url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=29hi9COPKGIC&pg=PA192&dq=%22the+Babysitter%22+%2Bstine&num=100&sig=_iQCL-pcOJMBvo5yTVi3AEWfTHs#PPA192,M1 ]

Plot summary

Jenny is a sixteen year old girl who is earning money by babysitting. When at the mall, she sees an "angelic" looking boy who dropped his tank into a fountain. Before he can jump in to get it, Jenny stops him and asks where his parents are. He tells her that his parents are lost, but they soon come by, quite coincidentally. They offer her a babysitting job, and due to the child's cuteness, she accepts.

Her first day on a job, a Thursday, she goes to the given address and is brought to a small village and an old style home. During her job she keeps getting menacing phone calls and notes. She wonders if someone is playing a cruel prank or if she the target of a killer.

References