ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, June 12, 1996 TAG: 9606120009
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
* The Baby-sitter's Club books are printed in 19 languages and distributed worldwide. They're most popular in other English-speaking countries, particularly Australia, England and Canada.
* In the beginning, when author Ann M. Martin thought the series might be short-lived, the characters did age one year. But after book No. 10, when Martin and her editors realized how popular the series was becoming, they froze the characters in time - at ages 11 and 13.
* Martin gets 17,000 letters a year from her fans - so many that she can't possibly respond to them all. For that, publisher Scholastic Books employs a small staff. When kids write who are emotionally troubled, Martin faxes the letter to Scholastic's in-house child psychologist, who helps her draft a response.
* Martin is frequently asked which character is her favorite. That's easy. ``Mary Anne is me,'' said Martin - a fact that many of her loyal readers already know. Mary Anne is the quiet, shy member of the group. ``Kristy is based on my best friend, Beth. She was the outgoing one with all the big ideas. And I sort of followed along.'' |- ORLANDO SENTINEL (c) 1996, Orlando Sentinel. Distributed by Knight-Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
LENGTH: Short : 35 linesby CNB