The Babysitter

Saccharin Valley Twits, Book 1

By: Polly Esther Rayon

Narrated by: Katrina Lenk

Did you have a love-hate relationship with, Sweet Valley books in the mid-80s to late 90s? Do you also have an affinity for YA fantasy and horror? Then this parody is for you.

While Mr. and Mrs. Wastefeld are on vacation in San Francisco, identical twins Jessica and Elizabeth and their brother Steven are dismayed to learn that they’ll be left with a babysitter yet again. Only this time, she’s young, pretty—and a witch! The Wastefeld kids soon discover that this is no ordinary babysitter. Piper Quintin is not only evil, she’s out to get them. How will they survive the wrath of a teenage girl with supernatural powers?

The Babysitter is a horror-parody of books I used to read obsessively as a child and later realized were...problematic. The Babysitter combines elements of satire and horror, and is kind of meta. If any of it sounds familiar, it's inspired by a few of the actual books in the series, but I took their premises and concocted a plot of my own with original characters.

But note, this isn’t really a kid’s book. The original series were aimed at preteen girls, and this book is based on the particular series where the twins are twelve. So there’s no blatant sexuality or violence, because it follows the rules of the original series, but there is some dark humor and a smidge of magical violence.

©2014 Lara Pontiff (P)2025 Lara Pontiff

So much fun

This book is just plain fun. The performer took on so many distinct and detailed personalities. Really enjoyed it. I hope there will be more.