The writers were students at New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study when they wrote the book.

As a child, Kraus lived at 1000 Park Avenue, and claims she modeled some of the characters, particularly Mrs. X, on other building residents.

A film adaptation starring Scarlett Johansson, Paul Giamatti, and Laura Linney was released in the United States on August 24, 2007.

In 2010 Kraus and McLaughlin released a sequel called Nanny Returns,[1] in which Nan and Ryan (aka Harvard Hottie) are married.

After having lived abroad for twelve years, they have returned to New York, where they move into a fixer-upper, and Nan hopes to start a business.

One night, a drunken, 16-year-old Grayer shows up at their door, demanding to know why Nan abandoned him years earlier, and thrusting the couple back into Mrs X's life.

In a rage, Nanny records herself on the "NannyCam", accusing the X's of being bad parents and begging them to simply love their son.

While working for the X's, Nanny meets and falls in love with a boy who lives in the same building as the X's, who she nicknames "Harvard Hottie", as that is where he went to school.

Now married to Harvard Hottie, they move back to New York after spending six years traveling the globe through his UN program.

Originally living in the same building as the X's, HH runs into Nanny in the elevator while she is hanging out with Grayer.

However, their relationship almost crumbles when she runs into him and his high school friends, who he doesn't stop when they insinuate that she is only a nanny so she can have affairs with rich husbands.

However, she doesn't like to spend money on others, as she poorly compensates Nanny for working overtime and fires workers whenever she feels like it.