Siblings Rivalrous and Riotous
Staff -- School Library Journal, 1/1/1998
Interactions and emotions among siblings are as varied as the books you will find listed below. From loving relationships, sharing secrets, and helping one another cope with loss, to jealousy, competition, and bullying behavior, the themes reflect a broad spectrum of family dynamics. Some of the books are serious, others are funny; many are sure to spark discussion. The issue date of the original review follows each annotation.--TEJ
BAUER, Marion Dane. A Question of Trust. Scholastic. Tr $14.95. ISBN 0-590-47915-6; pap. $2.99. ISBN 0-590-47923-7.
Gr 4-6 -- Two brothers whose parents have recently separated find solace in surreptitiously keeping a stray cat. Through observing the birth of her kittens and her maternal instincts, they come to understand their own mother's behavior. An insightful novel, rich in metaphor. (March 1994)
BYARS, Betsy. Bingo Brown, Gypsy Lover. Viking. Tr $12.95. ISBN 0-670-83322-3; pap. $3.99. ISBN 0-14-034518-3.
Gr 5-8 -- Bravo! Bingo's back, now experiencing the difficulty of a long-distance romance and trying to accept a new fact in his life: he's going to have a baby brother. With her trademark flair for serious issues handled with compassion and humor, Byars scores again. (June 1990)
CUTLER, Jane. Darcy and Gran Don't Like Babies. illus. by Susannah Ryan. Scholastic. RTE $14.95. ISBN 0-590-44587-1; pap. $4.95. ISBN 0-590-72126-7.
PreS-Gr 2 -- Acknowledging that babies are not necessarily all bundles of joy, a perceptive grandmother helps Darcy accept her new brother. Reassuring and right on target. (Nov. 1993)
DERBY, Pat. Grams, Her Boyfriend, My Family, and Me. Farrar. Tr $16. ISBN 0-374-38131-3.
Gr 6-10 -- The crazy antics of a family gone loco when a grandmother decides to marry; her son and her fiancé's daughter disapprove. Wild situations result in an upbeat ending as her grandchildren take matters into their own hands and help Grams elope. (Nov. 1994)
DORRIS, Michael. Morning Girl. Hyperion. Tr $12.95. ISBN 1-56282-284-5; pap. $3.50. ISBN 1-56282-661-1.
Gr 3-6 -- A story of a Taino girl and her brother, set in 1492 in the Bahamas. Sibling rivalry, jealously, and love-all are related with elegance and warmth, reflecting a simplicity of lifestyle and universality of experiences. (Oct. 1992)
GRANT, Cynthia D. Phoenix Rising: or How to Survive Your Life. Atheneum. Tr $13.95. ISBN 0-689-31458-2.
Gr 8-10 -- After her sister dies, Jessie is lost in her mourning and blind to the sorrows of her family. Her expressions of grief, alternating with the diary entries her sister left behind, achieve a wrenching counterpoint between two sisters . . . one facing death, the other seeking a reason to move on. Avoiding the maudlin, the message is upbeat and reassuring. (Feb. 1989)
HERMES, Patricia. Mama, Let's Dance. Little. Tr $15.95. ISBN 0-316-35861-4; Scholastic. pap. $2.99. ISBN 0-590-46633-X.
Gr 5-8 -- The very qualities that keep Mary Belle's own feet planted firmly on the ground while her mother and sister dance are those that enable her to take charge and face tragedy when she and her siblings are abandoned. A haunting novel of broken dreams and stalwart dedication. (Sept. 1991)
JOHNSTON, Julie. Hero of Lesser Causes. Joy St: Little. Tr $15.95. ISBN 0-316-46988-2; Puffin. pap. $3.99. ISBN 0-14-036998-8.
Gr 5-8 -- A resilient and adventurous girl worships her gifted older brother; when he is stricken with polio and loses interest in life, she commits herself to restoring his broken spirit. A story set in Canada in 1946 that pulses with emotion and determination. (June 1993)
MARSHALL, James, retel. Hansel and Gretel. Dial. Tr $12.95. ISBN 0-8037-0827-0; Puffin. pap. $4.99. ISBN 0-14-050836-8.
K-Gr 3 -- A wacky, witty warning to wicked witches everywhere. In his irreverent version of the classic tale, Marshall finds levity in the grimmest of situations and his candy-bright illustrations are as enticing as a house made of gingerbread. An absolute treat. (Dec. 1990)
MacLACHLAN, Patricia. Journey. illus. by Barry Moser. Delacorte. Tr $14.95. ISBN 0-385-30427-7; Dell. pap. $3.99. ISBN 0-440-40809-1.
Gr 4-6 -- Left with their loving but undemonstrative grandparents, Journey and his sister must face the fact that their free-spirited mother is gone forever. The old man's passion--his photographs--and a stray cat provide the common bonds that bring the family together. A tightly focused, carefully composed masterpiece. (Sept. 1991)
McNAIR, Joseph. Commander Coatrack Returns. Houghton. Tr $13.95. ISBN 0-395-48295-X.
Gr 5-9 -- Lisa is overprotective of her younger brother, a special-needs child for whom she has devised an intricate fantasy world in this tender novel about growing up, accepting change, and self-sacrifice. A provocative look at family roles and learning that part of love is letting go. (June 1989)
MAZER, Norma Fox. When She Was Good. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Bks. Tr $16.95. ISBN 0-590-13506-6.
Gr 8 Up -- A taut, introspective narrative in which Em is worn down by years of physical and emotional abuse from her sister. Hope comes with the teen's eventual realization that she will emerge intact. (Sept. 1997)
PARK, Barbara. Mick Harte Was Here. Apple Soup: Knopf. PLB $16.99. ISBN 0-679-97088-6; pap. $4.50. ISBN 0-679-88203-0.
Gr 4-6 -- In this wrenching story permeated with humor and hope, a young girl must come to terms with the death of her brother in a bicycle accident. (May 1995)
PATRON, Susan. Maybe Yes, Maybe No, Maybe Maybe. illus. by Dorothy Donahue. (Richard Jackson Bks.). Orchard. Tr $14.95. ISBN 0-531-05482-9; PLB $15.99. ISBN 0-531-08632-1; Dell. pap. $3.50. ISBN 0-440-40969-1.
Gr 2-4 -- PK's older sister may be Gifted, but this imaginative almost nine year old has some extraordinary talents of her own. Her storytelling abilities stand in good stead as the family moves to a new apartment, and her artistic touches make the place her own. No maybes--a best. (Mar. 1993)
POLACCO, Patricia. My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother. illus. by author. S & S. RTE $15. ISBN 0-671-72751-6.
PreS-Gr 3 -- A little girl endures the jeers and taunts of her older brother-until he comes through for her when she needs him. High-spirited pictures of the rivalrous siblings in action belie the family caring beneath all the bickering. (Oct. 1994)
WELLS, Rosemary. Max and Ruby's First Greek Myth: Pandora's Box. illus. by author. Dial. Tr $11.99. ISBN 0-8037-1524-2; PLB $11.89. ISBN 0-8037-1525-0.
PreS-Gr 3 -- Bossy Ruby instructs her younger brother on the hazards of snooping via her thoroughly modern retelling of the classic myth. These rabbit siblings have never been funnier--or more endearing. (Oct. 1993)
WIESNER, David. Hurricane. illus. by author. Clarion. RTE $15.95. ISBN 0-395-54382-7; pap. $5.95. ISBN 0-395-62974-8.
Gr 1-3 -- For brothers David and George, the only thing more unforgettable than the gusty storm that assailed their neighborhood for most of one day is the downed giant elm they find the next morning. The formidable tree becomes a vehicle for hours of imaginative play and fanciful excursions. The stuff of boyhood memories. (Oct. 1990)
WOLFF, Ashley. Stella & Roy. illus. by author. Dutton. RTE $12.99. ISBN 0-525-45081-5; Puffin. pap. $4.99. ISBN 0-14-055884-5.
PreS-Gr 1 -- In true "Hare and Tortoise" fashion, older, overconfident Stella takes her time pedaling round a lake, stopping to check out the flora and fauna, while toddler Roy repeatedly rolls "right on by." The luminously tinted linoleum prints perfectly capture the thrill of the race. (Sept. 1993)
YORINKS, Arthur. Oh, Brother. illus. by Richard Egielski. Farrar. Tr $15.95. ISBN 0-374-35599-1; pap. $5.95. ISBN 0-374-45598-8.
Gr 2-4 -- The uproarious misadventures of quarrelsome twins as they make their way from Rotten's Home for Lost Boys to the Queen of England's court, squabbling all the while. A playful look at brotherly love, executed with a deadpan delivery and jolly good humor bursting from the illustrations. (Dec. 1989)
ZINDEL, Paul. The Pigman & Me. (Charlotte Zolotow Bks.). HarperCollins. Tr $14.95. ISBN 0-06-020857-0; PLB $14.89. ISBN 0-06-020858-9; Bantam. pap. $3.99. ISBN 0-553-56456-0.
Gr 7-12 -- A popular author turns teen troubles into humor as he recalls the year he, his sister, and their neurotic, wheeler-dealer mother shared a house with another single mother and her rambunctious, identical, preschool twins. Salvation comes in the form of his "pigman." (Sept. 1992)
