About The Book

“I enjoyed The Babysitter Lives very much. It’s perfect for audio, as really scary stories always are, and this one is really scary. Perfect for a long car ride…especially when you’re almost out of gas and you start wondering if maybe someone has gotten into the backseat and will lurch into the rearview mirror.” —Stephen King

Only on Audio! A new horror novel from the bestselling author of The Only Good Indians and My Heart Is a Chainsaw.

A mother carries her six-year-old daughter into the tiled bathroom where the bathtub is already running, is still running, is overflowing, and for a moment the girl calms, seeing her little brother floating facedown in the water, his hair a golden halo around him, but then this mother is guiding her face-first down into that water, that, as it turns out, isn’t just water but scalding water, and eleven years later her scream is the drawer screeching out of the counter by the sink.

When high school senior Charlotte agrees to babysit the Wilbanks twins, she plans to put the six-year-olds to bed early and spend a quiet night studying: the SATs are tomorrow, and checking the Native American/Alaskan Native box on all the forms doesn’t mean jack if you choke on test day.

But tomorrow is also Halloween, and the twins are eager to show off their costumes—Ron is a nurse, in an old-fashioned white skirt-uniform, and Desi has an Authentic Squaw costume, complete with buckskin and feathered headdress. Excitement is in the air.

Charlotte’s last babysitting gig almost ended in tragedy, when her young charge sleepwalked unnoticed into the middle of the street, only to be found unharmed by Charlotte’s mother. Charlotte vows to be extra careful this time. But the house is filled with mysterious noises and secrets that only the twins understand, echoes of horrors that Charlotte gradually realizes took place in the house eleven years ago. Soon Charlotte has to admit that every babysitter’s worst nightmare has come true: they’re not alone in the house.

The Babysitter Lives is a mind-bending haunted house tale from the Jordan Peele of horror literature, Stephen Graham Jones.

Featuring a note from the author.

About The Author

Gary Isaacs

Stephen Graham Jones

Stephen Graham Jones is the New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians. He has been an NEA fellowship recipient and a recipient of several awards including the Ray Bradbury Award from the Los Angeles Times, the Bram Stoker Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, the Jesse Jones Award for Best Work of Fiction from the Texas Institute of Letters, the Independent Publishers Award for Multicultural Fiction, and the Alex Award from American Library Association. He is the Ivena Baldwin Professor of English at the University of Colorado Boulder.

About The Readers

Isabella Star LaBlanc

Gary Isaacs

Stephen Graham Jones

Stephen Graham Jones is the New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians. He has been an NEA fellowship recipient and a recipient of several awards including the Ray Bradbury Award from the Los Angeles Times, the Bram Stoker Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, the Jesse Jones Award for Best Work of Fiction from the Texas Institute of Letters, the Independent Publishers Award for Multicultural Fiction, and the Alex Award from American Library Association. He is the Ivena Baldwin Professor of English at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Product Details

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio Originals (August 9, 2022)
Runtime: 7 hours and 34 minutes
ISBN13: 9781797133119

Raves and Reviews

"LaBlanc expertly captures the deterioration of a babysitter named Charlotte, whose plans for a quiet night of preparing for the SATs go up in smoke. Charlotte is accustomed to being the smartest person in the room. But she is soon in over her head as she battles the malevolent force that has never left the posh suburban home where she’s babysitting. LaBlanc is equally adept at bringing to life Charlotte's twin charges, who know more than they're saying, as well as the being that lives in the walls. LaBlanc keeps the listener wanting to reach for the off button to stop the terror."

– AudioFile Magazine

"The night before she’s scheduled to take the SATs, Charlotte lands a new babysitting gig for 6-
year-old twins Ronald and Desi. Her plan is to feed the kids, put them to bed, and study until the
Wilbanks come home. When Charlotte hears mysterious noises in the house and she’s unable to
locate the twins, she learns that the house was the scene of a brutal murder/suicide and that the
tragic (and misunderstood) past has remained behind and threatens everyone there. Isabella
Star LaBlanc, a Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota actor, is the ideal choice to represent Indigenous
teen Charlotte; her voice is both youthful and commanding, allowing listeners to relax and put
their trust in her as a babysitter. Her voice exudes confidence as she continues to deal with all of
the supernatural misfortunes thrown at her. While some listeners may think LaBlanc’s portrayal
of Charlotte is too stoic, those who pay attention will notice how she adds emotions to reflect the
danger other characters encounter. Using slightly but believably different voices for the other
characters, LaBlanc aces the rhythm and writing style distinct to Stephen Graham Jones, giving
it a naturally flowing quality. Encourage Jones' fans who may be disappointed in the lack of a
print edition to listen to this audio-exclusive, even if they aren’t fans of audiobooks. They may
come back for more!"

– Suzanne Temple, Booklist