Thought summer was over? Think again. We’re setting sail to the Bahamas with our favorite babysitters, and you’re invited! Bestselling authors Raina Telgemeier and Gale Galligan are bringing a fresh, sun-soaked twist to the iconic series with their latest graphic novel, The Baby-sitters Club Super Special: Baby-sitters on Board! (Psst: Click here to hear our Bestie Book Club’s thoughts on the book.)

We caught up with Raina and Gale to get a BTS look at what it’s really like to bring a BSC story to life…

Girls’ Life: This year marks the 40th anniversary of Ann M. Martin’s iconic The Baby-sitters Club series. Which theme from the OG is most important for you to bring to the graphic novels?

Gale: I think that the series really stuck with me as a kid because each member of the club brought different strengths and weaknesses to the table, and you got to hear their stories from their unique points of view. So you might not personally relate to someone like Stacey or Logan, but you could get to understand why they were the way they were. And you could see how they were all trying to be their best selves and help each other out. That’s an idea I try to bring with me into all of my books, BSC or not: There’s no one way to be a person. It’s okay to make mistakes, it’s okay to learn and we’re all in this together.

Raina: Picking just one theme is hard, because BSC fans love so many aspects of the series. But 40 years in, it still feels genuine, authentic and real. Readers relate to the girls’ struggles, fears, triumphs and, most of all, the work they put into their friendships. They constantly hold each other accountable. They are so messy, but they strive to be better people. Ann wrote remarkable role models, wrapped up in fun page-turning chapter books. Her dialogue is so funny, and the stories are a blast to illustrate.

GL: Describe the graphic novel in 3 emojis.

Raina:👴🏻🏴‍☠️🕵🏻‍♀️

Gale: 🚢😍🎆

GL: When did you know you wanted to be an illustrator and story adapter? 

Raina: I had been writing, drawing and self-publishing comics for years before I met David Saylor (the creative director at Scholastic Graphix), and he and I sort of hit on the idea of me adapting the Baby-sitters Club into graphic novels—it was like a dream I didn’t even know existed before that moment. I was the first cartoonist to work on the series, and I’m just in awe of all the talented artists who have followed in my footsteps.

Gale: I’d been making comics for fun my whole life, but didn’t realize for the longest time that “cartoonist” was a job people could have! Once I made the connection, I doubled down and drew even more comics. I shared them with people online and at conventions, started learning more about the kinds of stories I really wanted to tell, stumbled into a master’s degree in comics and finally pitched my work to David Saylor. They happened to be looking for someone to pick up with the BSC where Raina had left off—no pressure!!! It was such an honor to step into the role.

GL: What was it like collaborating with a fellow illustrator to bring the characters to life?

Raina: Oh my gosh, it was so much fun designing this book with Gale—while the characters are familiar to both of us, the locations were all brand new. We got to invent them completely from scratch—including an imaginary theme park! Gale is great at things like mascots, animal designs and fantastical elements, and I was really into how the rides all worked and fit together. We made a good team.

Gale: This was my first time co-adapting a graphic novel (or co-drawing a book, even!), and I’m so grateful to have been able to do it with Raina. Usually, my process is something like “sit at desk, stare into space, draw for a while, slowly go bananas as I wonder whether the drawings are working or not,” but this book! This book was two friends texting each other things like “look at this silly face I’ve drawn” and “what if the theme park had merch like THIS,” just bouncing ideas and jokes and encouragement back and forth. There’s no room for worrying when you’re having that much fun. It was the absolute best.

GL: The babysitters are headed on an epic Bahamas vacay! Did you have any childhood vacations that inspired you?

Raina: When I was a teenager, I traveled frequently with my high school choir…and the thing about choir kids is, they sing anywhere and everywhere. We took a very memorable trip to L.A. and Disneyland when I was 16, and found that many of those tunnels that the ride queues snake through have incredible acoustics! I’m sure the people waiting to ride Splash Mountain behind a couple dozen teens were not expecting to hear such an exuberant performance of “Fa una canzona,” but we sure had a good time. I thought about that trip the whole time I was drawing this book.

Gale: I definitely tried to channel my memories of childhood vacation wonder! There’s something so special about the moments where you get to wander away from your family and make little discoveries for yourself. But…maybe give people more of a heads-up than Karen does in this book, OK?

GL: When sharing a room on the cruise ship, Kristy and Dawn wonder if their friendship can survive their differences. What advice would you give them—or any BFFs out there—for surviving a rough patch?

Raina: It’s most likely just a patch! Try and remember the things you like about each other, what brought you together in the first place…and if all else fails, hopefully a third bestie (like Claudia) will show up and call a truce!

Gale: Talk to each other! Be honest about what’s bothering you, and be open to hearing what they have to say as well. You might uncover a misunderstanding or realize that you don’t even remember what you were fighting about in the first place. (Did I have a week-long fight with a BFF over a misplaced eraser? Yes, absolutely. We got through it. You can do this.)

Check out The Baby-sitters Club Super Special: Baby-sitters on Board!, available now!