Audible’s Baby-Sitters Clubhouse Dazzled (and Bedazzled) Fans at BookCon

Scrunchies and slap bracelets. Lava lamps and inflatable chairs. The ‘80s and ‘90s were on full display at Audible’s Baby-Sitters Clubhouse at BookCon this month, transporting visitors to Stoneybrook and the world of The Baby-Sitters Club. The nostalgia-filled exhibit celebrated the series, which will be released on audio for the first time this August exclusively on Audible, and came complete with a photo booth, bedazzle zone and listening stations playing fans’ favorite scenes.

The series’ author, Ann M. Martin, hung out in the clubhouse signing custom notebooks and tote bags for visitors after her panel discussion, “The Baby-Sitters Club: The Ultimate Throwback and Flash Forward,” with three of the series’ narrators, Brittany Pressley, Bahni Turpin, Vanessa Johansson, and Kat Lambrix, Senior Director of Audible Studios. The panel was moderated by Diana Dapito, Audible’s SVP of Content, and was packed with fans of the series. Many of them shared that they had read the series as children and were now introducing their children to it, proving that while The Baby-Sitters Club’s characters might use landlines rather than cellphones, the series tackles enduring themes like divorce, death and dealing with conflict.

True crime author Billy Jensen, on site to do a signing for his Audible Original Chase Darkness with Me, couldn’t resist the clubhouse vibe, taking a photo on its large alphabet blocks. Marcus Samuelsson also stopped by to do a signing for his new Audible Original Our Harlem, as did Alyssa Cole, author of upcoming Audible Original The A.I. Who Loved Me, after participating in the panel “Why Romance Steals Hearts in Audio” with fellow romance author Emma Chase. Moderated by Audible romance editor Katie O’Connor, the panel also featured narrators Zachary Webber and Erin Mallon who showcased the seductive power of audio by performing select romance audiobook passages, including one from Chase’s Audible Original Getting Played.