I received a promotional packet from Ripley’s Entertainment Inc which included book covers, the first book in the RBI series, and information about the books in the series. I was quite impressed by it. The packet informed me: “We have heard from many librarians and educators that Ripley’s should publish a series for younger children especially aimed to boys and reluctant readers. From this suggestion we are happy to present the RBI series.”

I really like the idea behind this series. Books for children and young adults that tells a story while at the same time incorporating some non-fiction into the mix as a group of teens from the RBI work to solve a mystery. Peppered throughout the pages are facts about aspects of the story in sidebar and plenty of illustrations to help kids imagine the action. I think this series is well-designed and thought out. It interests kids who like non-fiction and fiction, it appeals to young kids with the illustrations and older kids with the modern feel of technology and gadgets the teens in the RBI use which are pictured throughout the book. There are trading cards included in the book not just for characters, but for some of the facts (or fiction) found in the story. The characters are multicultural and a good mix of character types. And while the focus may have been boys and reluctant readers, I think this series will appeal to any kid in its age demographic.

The covers are slick and colorful — certainly eye-catching. The books aren’t too long so as to turn off reluctant readers by its size. And they’re affordable at $5.00 each. And I believe that books are some of the best gifts you can give. Especially when they’re interactive and fun like these.

When I was a kid, I loved The Baby-Sitters Club. The first weekend of very month, my parents would give me a few dollars (man, back in the day when you could get a book for a few dollars — I feel so old) and I’d run out and buy the latest book in the series. I adored the idea of a club for baby-sitters that was run like a business with positions like secretary and treasurer. I loved the idea that they met once a week and took calls from parents who wanted to pay them to watch their kids. Maybe it was because I’ve never babysat for kids myself, and I thought the idea was so glamorous.

As were the characters. Tomboy Kristy, artsy Claudia, wallflower Mary Anne (who totally took a step up the cool ladder when she got her boyfriend, Logan), sophisticated Stacey, hippie Dawn, bookworm Mallory, dancer Jessie. There were so many of them! And so many kids to babysit too.

Anyway… I loved the books. I read them from elementary through junior high. And then I stopped because I outgrew the characters. The series itself ended in 2000. But then I discovered a little while ago that Martin wrote a prequel this year to the series called The Summer Before, all about the summer before Kristy’s Big Idea (book one in the series). And I had to read it. It just reminded me so much of my youth that I couldn’t pass it up.

So I got it from the library and reading it again brought back so many memories of the series and when I was a little girl. The story itself wasn’t anything special. Sort of an introduction to the 4 original members of the club. Thinking on it now, I wonder if this book is Martin’s attempt to capture those girls who so loved The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (the BSC of the current generation). Perhaps they’re hoping to renew interest to the series and bring new stories out soon.

I have to say that I like that idea. I think the BSC is good for young girls today. Certainly tamer than Gossip Girl and the other “Mean Girl” type series that are out there now. You’re not going to find Kristy worrying about teen pregnancy the way you might expect Serena Van Der Woodsen to have a new bedfellow every week. And, as a mom, I think I’d prefer my pre-teen to be reading the BSC.

Anyway, I wouldn’t say this book was great reading, but it was great for a trip down memory lane to those of us who grew up on the BSC series. Finally… a plug for a blog called BSC Headquarters (www.claudiasroom.blogspot.com — genius domain!) I discovered a while back that is all about the BSC — the author, Tiff, is rereading the BSC books as an adult and offering her thoughts on the series now that she’s older. I find it to be a lot of fun.

My son will be 2 years old in a few months, but I think he’s starting to embrace the terrible 2′s with gusto already. Don’t get me wrong, he’s actually a great kid. He plays well with others, he hardly ever gets upset. He treats things well and listens most of the time. Most people tell me he’s so well-behaved and happy. And he is.

But he has this habit of smacking me. Or pulling my hair. Or pinching me. Usually this happens when he’s frustrated and can’t communicate himself well, and it almost always happens now when we’re in public places because I don’t allow him to go running off and I make him hold my hand if he won’t sit in his stroller or the shopping cart.

We introduced the idea of a naughty corner a while ago to mixed success. When he’s put in the corner, he stays there and he waits until the time is up. He’ll even take himself there when you tell him he has to go to the naughty corner. The part that doesn’t seem to be working is that he seems happy enough when he’s there; like he’s thinking, “That’s cool. I was gonna stand here anyway.” When his time is up, he dutifully gives a sorry hug and then he’s on his way. The problem is that he’s too young to understand that he’s supposed to be thinking about why he’s there and that it’s meant to be disciplining him and deterring him from repeating his naughty behavior. He just does it again and again. And we keep putting him in the corner again and again. Consistency and all that jazz.

So I was starting to think I needed some new tricks. Enter Supernanny. My husband and I don’t regularly watch her show, but we have caught it a few times when we’ve been channel surfing and it’s been on. We find that we like Supernanny’s methods because they’re quite similar to what we believe parenting should be like (discipline fairly, praise freely, maintain a routine, be consistent, etc.). So I thought I’d place a hold on her book and see if there’s anything I haven’t thought of yet.

There wasn’t. We pretty much do everything she discusses. We have the naughty corner. We use the involvement technique (as a way to deter naughty behavior). We put our son to sleep at night with similar methods. But just because I didn’t learn anything new from her book isn’t to say that it isn’t a good resource. I’d say it’s a fabulous resource for parents who are looking for structure and routine as a way of shaping and directing children towards good behavior.

I came away after reading this book to understand that I just have to keep up what I’m doing — be consistent until my son is old enough to understand a little better what the naughty corner means. He’s just too young to figure out yet that just because Mommy or Daddy said no to hitting them that one time doesn’t mean he can hit any other time either. I figure he’ll grow out of the phase once he can better communicate his frustrations and understand boundaries a little more. And until then, I’ll just leave him at home with Daddy when I need to go out in public ;)

And since this is a book review, I’ll end here by saying I think this is a great book. My only criticism is that I think I would have liked more “troubleshooting tips” for specific examples/scenarios (ie. what do you do with a nearly 2 year old son who is being naughty, but doesn’t understand what naughty means?), but that’s content for a whole other book. I wouldn’t buy it for anyone other than yourselves though, since I don’t think most parents would take kindly to someone gifting them a book on parenting, if you know what I mean ;)