- Graphic Novels
- Ages 8–12
- Contemporary
The Baby-Sitters Club: The Truth About Stacey
Book 2 of 19 in The Baby-Sitters Club GraphixView the full series
Part of the The Baby-Sitters Club universeOpen the collection
A strong second entry that adds emotional depth through Stacey's diabetes and her worry about being treated differently. It keeps the cosy club appeal while giving the series a useful health, honesty and friendship theme.
- Best for8–12
- FormatGraphic
- Length160 pp
- Read aloud~1 hr15 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
Tone
- Warm
- Funny
- Heartwarming
- Thought provoking
- Cosy
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Stacey McGill is stylish, confident and full of New York sophistication, but she is also hiding something from her new Stoneybrook friends: she has diabetes. After difficult experiences at her old school, Stacey is afraid the truth will change how people see her. At the same time, a rival babysitting business threatens the Baby-Sitters Club, pushing Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia and Stacey to work together and prove their club can survive. This second Graphix volume keeps the accessible friendship-and-business structure of the first book while deepening Stacey as a character. Raina Telgemeier's adaptation makes the medical and social anxiety clear without becoming heavy. For children, the book offers friendship, secrets, rivalry and babysitting drama; for adults, it is a useful recommendation around chronic illness, honesty, trust and the fear of being different.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 8–12
- Read aloud · 7–11
- Independent · 8–12
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Bedtime
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
5 / 5 · Bedtime-friendly
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Realistic graphic novel
- Chronic illness representation
- Friendship group
- Raina telgemeier fans
- Reluctant readers
Avoid if
- Wants action adventure
- Prefers fantasy or sci fi
- Not interested in health themes
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Making friends
- Struggling with reading
- Illness in family
- Low self esteem
In the classroom
How it works in school.
The hugely popular Baby-Sitters Club graphic novels — a reluctant-reader favourite that also touches on friendship, responsibility and family.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific recognition is hiding a health condition — Stacey's type 1 diabetes kept secret from her new Stoneybrook friends because she's been treated differently at her old school. A child with a chronic condition reading this gets to see the fear named, then the relief of being honest about it.
- Being special or chosen
- Friendship and belonging
- Making a difference
- Proving yourself
Why parents love it
The BSC for any family navigating a child's chronic illness — Stacey's diabetes handled with unusual honesty for early-middle-grade. The fear of being treated differently, the temptation to hide, the relief of telling the truth, all played at the right register. One of the most useful early BSCs.
- Nostalgia
- Conversation starter
- Quick to read
- Bedtime appropriate
In the series
The Baby-Sitters Club Graphix.
19 books · open the series →
About the creators
About the creators.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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