Arthur's Dad

Joan McGrath is a Toronto Board of Education library consultant.

Seven-year-old Arthur is a babysitter’s nightmare come to life.
That’s why his dad has hired 23 of them—and why all have left,
vowing never to return. Arthur puts nasty surprises in his sitters’
food and drink, fills the house with creepy-crawlies, and plays other
horrid tricks on them, until the situation is just too much for his
hard-pressed, single-parent dad. Then Arthur meets his match: Annie, the
daughter of the last babysitter, Mrs. McCubbin. Annie is ambidextrous.
Arthur isn’t sure what that means, but he’s sure it’s something
special. Both he and Annie have made up their minds that Annie’s
mother will be the last babysitter.

Youngsters ages 7-10 may well enjoy the antics of this unpleasant
child, and since this book is part of a first-novel series, they can
read it to themselves. Just as well: no adult could bear to do it for
them.