A popular children’s book series is being adapted into a musical with the help of a buzzy songwriter.
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According to Deadline, Ann M. Martin’s book series The Baby-Sitters Club is being developed into a stage musical with a book by Kate Wetherhead. Mark Sonneblick, who rose to fame with Kpop Demon Hunters over the summer, is on board for music and lyrics. Annie Tippe will direct and choreograph.
TWTheatricals have optioned theatrical rights to the children’s book series for the musical. An exclusive industry presentation is now scheduled for Nov. 13 in New York City. The theatrical premiere is currently planned for Spring 2027.
“I love musicals and am excited to see the adventures of Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, and Stacey come to life on stage,” Martin said. “I’m humbled by the ongoing popularity of the series, and couldn’t be more thrilled by the news.”
“We look forward to bringing the BSC’s themes of friendship, growing pains, independence, and self-discovery to a live audience,” Wetherhead also shared. “So that both young people and adults can see for themselves (or their former selves) that they are not alone in the grand adventure of ‘growing up.’”
“Though their triumphs and struggles and crushes are evergreen, these are girls of the ’80s and ’90s,” Sonnenblick further stated. “So the score’s inspired by some of our favorites – Sheryl Crow, Indigo Girls, Shania Twain. We’re just very excited for everyone to hang out with the club in Stoneybrook, whether it’s your first time or your five hundredth.”
The Popular Children’s Book Series Was First Published in 1986
Scholastic published the children’s book series between 1986 and 2000. It has sold nearly 200 million copies in print to date.
The series has also expanded to more than 250 titles, four spin-off book series, graphic novel adaptations, HBO and Netflix TV series, and a featured film.
“I didn’t expect that The Baby-Sitters Club would be more than a four-book mini-series in the 1980s,” Martin told PEOPLE in 2024. “But 38 years later, here we are.”
Martin said she had recently left children’s book publishing when publisher Jean Feiwel contacted her about a new series.
“She told me she was looking for a four-book series about a group of girls who babysit, and she had a title for the series: The Baby-Sitters Club,” Martin recalled. “We talked about the club being a business, and I created the four original characters — Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, and Stacey.”
“From the beginning, I wanted characters who were very different from one another,” she pointed out. “But who formed strong friendships and worked well together.”
Martin noted she wanted the series to be about babysitting. However, she also wanted it to be about the girls’ growth and friendships.
She then said she and her editors were “stunned” when the children’s book series hit the national bestseller list.
“This is a question I’m frequently asked, especially by adult fans of the books,” Martin added. “They want to know who the characters grew up to be. I could come up with scenarios, but I’m more curious about what readers might come up with!”