The Baby-sitters Club is back.

That may be the one sentence that can make any girl of the '80s squeal like she's 10 years old again.

Since the first book of the series -- "Kristy's Great Idea" -- was published in 1986, there have been about 250 books, a TV series and a rather forgettable movie (but man, I was excited when it came out, regardless). And although the series ended in 1999, Scholastic reports that it's remained a top seller.

I LOVED BSC growing up. And I was at just the right age to enjoy Baby-sitter's Little Sister, which followed the incorrigable Karen's misadventures, before "graduating" to Kristy, Mary Anne, Stacey and Claudia's middle and high school dramas. Though the books weren't very challenging, and my mother quickly grew tired of buying me a new one every couple of days, the subject -- girls growing up -- is perennial.

So I squealed right along when I got the news that Ann M. Martin had penned a BSC prequel, "The Summer Before." Along with the new paperback, which will be released in April, Scholastic is re-issuing the first three titles of the series throughout spring, with more titles to follow in June.

"Writing about these characters and stepping back into the world of Stoneybrook was like having a reunion with old friends -- friends who truly haven't changed a bit." Martin said in a press release. "I'm very excited about introducing The Baby-sitters Club to a new generation of readers."

Of course, there is a downside to returning to the '80s. Many of today's readers won't be able to understand Kristy and Mary Anne's practice of signaling to each other with flashlights from their bedroom windows in order to talk. Why didn't they just go online, or pick up their cell phones?

I imagine lots of fun conversations between young mothers and their kids, trying to explain the almost Neolithic state of the world just 20 years ago.