Friday, August 24, 2018

When My Sister Started Kissing, by Helen Frost


Summer for Claire has always meant a few weeks at Heartstone Lake with her older sister Abigail and her father.  But this year, things are different.  In the past year, Dad has married Pam and now Pam is pregnant.  While it is hard to deny that she is excited about the imminent step-sibling, Claire resents Pam's presence.  Meanwhile, Abigail is bonding with their stepmother, spending more time hanging out with boys, and wants to be called “Abi.” Claire longs for her real mother, her real sister, and for all of these changes to stop happening.

Told in a variety of poetic styles, Frost’s paean to summer memories and changing families doesn’t break any new ground in theme or in style.  That doesn't make it any less of a lovely mood piece, articulating that perennial tween angst about changes.

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