Critter Club – Marion Takes Charge

Callie Barkley's Marion Takes Charge is a gentle animal story for 5 year olds about a big sister who finally gets the babysitting job she's always wanted.

What happens

Marion Ballard likes to be organised. She checks her watch, checks her homework and checks that Gabby, her little sister, has remembered her reading folder. So when Mum asks her to look after Gabby while there's a party at home on Saturday, Marion is thrilled. Her parents always said she was too young!

There's a new guest at The Critter Club too. That's the animal shelter Marion runs with her friends Amy, Ellie and Liz in Ms. Sullivan's barn. A nervous tabby cat hisses at everybody. Everybody except Marion, whose lap she climbs straight into.

Babysitting turns out to be harder than Marion planned. She's made a list of activities (number one is tidying Gabby's room, which goes down about as well as you'd think). Gabby insists on Candy Land, quits halfway through and won't wear a sweater. Then the phone rings. Tabby has disappeared and Marion is the one she trusts. What's a babysitter to do?

Marion's answer is to bring Gabby along. That's when the real chaos starts, with a mouse on the loose and an iguana making a run for it. Marion loses her temper, and Gabby runs off in tears.

This is the twelfth Critter Club book, and it's a short, simple read with lots of chat and very short chapters. The animals are a big part of it, but the heart of it is the two sisters.

The bit that rings true is how fast a big sister can go from proud to fed up. Marion snaps, feels bad straight away and tries to put it right. If there's an older sibling in your house who's desperate for a bit of responsibility, they'll probably recognise every minute of it. And younger siblings might enjoy seeing a big sister get it wrong for once!

What to read next

If they want more of Marion's very busy life, Marion Takes a Break is in the library too. There she's juggling ballet, piano lessons, her horse Coco and a litter of kittens at the club, all at once.