Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This introduction to The Sisters Eight is charming, ridiculous, mysterious and strange. The octuplets, whose were each born one minute apart, find on New Year's Eve that their parents (dad's a model, mom's a scientist) are missing, via a note left for them telling them they will each discover a power and a gift. Annie, the oldest, takes charge, as they try to hide their parentless state from their mean teacher, the McG, and the kindly mechanic, Pete, who manages to somehow catch on (despite Annie's disguising her voice as her dad and putting on a fake moustache).
Oh, and there's talking cats and petulant sisters and a cute boy named Will. These sisters are zany and adorable, and their antics and love for pink frosting, along with the sense of drama infused by Baratz-Logsted and her co-authors, husband Greg Logsted (author of the YA novel Something Happened) and 8-year-old daughter Jackie, make this a series I'm looking forward to reading.
Some of the naming conventions, like each cat corresponding to a sister, get a little outrageous, but the fun inventions, like shoes they use to walk on the ceiling and a misprogrammed robot maid, are absolutely delightful. The girls are wise beyond their years (some of them), but still have to deal with basic kid stuff like school and, oh yeah, not so basic stuff like their missing parents. They mostly take the disappearance in stride and focus on their daily tasks. It's hard to get a sense of each and every one of them from the book, though sourpuss Rebecca stands out. These little girls know what they like (shopping for toys, their cute classmate Will) and what they don't (their teacher, for one, and their nosy neighbor, The Wicket).
The sisters will likely appeal to Lemony Snicket fans, though while they too face tragedy, the story isn't grim (or Grimm) at all. I might have preferred that each girl tell her own story in the first person rather than first person plural, but it still works. This is a fun read and will appeal to kids who wonder just how much fun it would be to have their parents out of the house; in Annie's Adventures, it's fun but takes some grownup smarts to keep their busy, octuplet and animal-filled household running smoothly (with a little help from their friend Pete, whose knowing kindness makes him a standout character).
Click Here to see more reviews about:
Sisters Eight Book 1: Annie's AdventuresA rather large problem has befallen the Huit girls. (Sisters, actually. Octuplets to be exact.) One particular New Year's Eve, the girls wait for their mommy to bring them hot chocolate and their daddy to return with more wood for the fire. But they don't. Mommy and Daddy, that is. They're gone. Poof! Maybe dead-no one knows for sure.You must see the problem here. Eight little girls on their own, no mommy or daddy to take care of them. This is not a good thing.So now these little girls, must take care of themselves. Get to school, cook the meals, feed the cats (eight of them, too), and pay the bills. They can't ask for help, oh no. Any self-respecting adult would surely call in social services, and those well-meaning people would have to split them up. After losing their parents, being split up would be completely unbearable.At the same time, the question remains:What happened to Mommy and Daddy? The Sisters Eight (as they are called, affectionately and otherwise) are determined to find out. Luckily, they do seem to have someone or something helping them. Notes keep appearing behind a loose brick in the fireplace.It's a good old-fashioned mystery with missing (or dead) parents, nosy neighbors, talking refrigerators, foul-smelling fruitcake (is there any other kind?), and even a little magic. Eight little girls, eight cats, and one big mystery-let the fun begin!Annie's Adventures, wherein the girls' parents go missing (or die) and the girls learn each one has a power and gift. Annie, being the oldest, is the first to discover hers.
Click here for more information about Sisters Eight Book 1: Annie's Adventures
