Baby-Sitter's Club Chain Letter

Sure to be coveted by the hordes of Baby-sitters fans, this lavish and well-thought-out production is designed in the style of The Jolly Postman and the Griffin and Sabine books. Its pages are stuffed with greeting cards that can be opened up and read; envelopes filled with letters and appealing trinkets (a neon friendship bracelet, a ``handmade'' bookmark and a strip of photos); reproductions of postcards, etc. The flow of correspondence starts up when Kristy, stuck in the hospital while her fellow club-members are away on various summer vacations, starts an unusual chain letter in which the writer must ``divulge a secret to one person. . . . Then that person has to send a secret to one other person, and so on.'' The secrets, which frequently refer to previous episodes in the series, range from the slapstick to the poignant. The use of language, the choice of stationery and the distinct handwriting styles are in keeping with each of the characters. The utterly authentic preteen sensibility is enhanced by the combinations of stickers, rubber-stamp designs and goofy slogans which grace the missives and their envelopes. Ages 8-12. (Oct.)