The Year My Sister Got Lucky by Aimee Friedman | eBook

Publishers Weekly

Two city-slicker sisters who live and breathe ballet must adapt to the country in Friedman's (South Beach) happy confection. Fourteen-year-old Katie Wilder's spirits plummet when her best friend and older sister, Michaela, informs her of their parents' plans to transplant the family from Manhattan to tiny rural Fir Lake, upstate. But things get even worse for Katie when Michaela, secretly delighted to be spared the rigors of ballet training and the enormous expectations of her, immediately adjusts to their new hometown. She finds a boyfriend and even gets elected homecoming queen, leaving Katie feeling abandoned and bewildered. Readers will want to overlook various gaps in logic, particularly in the ballet plot line, because of Friedman's fresh and funny approach to classic themes-the fish out of water, sibling rivalries and jealousy. Katie finds herself hiking up a mountain and alarmingly near a cow, and discovers she can handle both situations with grace. A fashionista, she observes her new classmates' flannel shirts and sensible shoes with curiosity; later, she says, "Despite the overalls Autumn is wearing, and despite her belonging to the Camping Club, knowing that she's probably my first friend in Fir Lake makes me grin." Friedman deftly demonstrates the positives of moving forward and not clinging to the past; she also presents a sister dynamic that many girls-particularly younger sisters-will recognize. Ages 12-up. (Jan.)

KLIATT - KLIATT Review

This is a novel about being sisters. It's from the point of view of Katie, who is 14, telling about her older sister Michaela, a high school senior, and how their lives change dramatically the year their family moves. Katie and Michaela are the daughters of a Manhattan couple: a novelist and a college professor. The sisters have trained at a ballet school, and dream of dancing professionally. When their parents decide to move to upstate New York to a rural college town, the girls are stunned. Everything changes for them. They no longer have first-class ballet training. They no longer have the city, their apartment life, and all they have known. They start to go their separate ways and no longer are close. Michaela has new friends; she has a boyfriend, the town football star; she is chosen homecoming queen. Katie is stunned, and hurt. But Katie too is changing. She discovers yoga and enjoys those sessions more than she enjoys dance lessons. But when she pokes around in Michaela's private e-mails and discovers Michaela and her boyfriend have had sex, she is shocked that Michaela has not shared this momentous information with her. There is betrayal, confession, reconciliation, and new understanding. This is an appealing story that will attract many readers, whether they are interested in dance, in sisterhood, or the universal YA theme of breaking free of family expectations. Age Range: Ages 12 to 15. REVIEWER: Claire Rosser (Vol. 42, No. 1)

Children's Literature - JoAn Watson Martin

Fourteen-year-old Katie is horrified and frightened at the prospect of leaving New York City, with its Lincoln Center, Central Park, Anna Pavlova Dance Studio, and Nutcracker Christmas show. Still, the family is moving to rural Fir Lake, which is noted for overalls, campers, nature, and football-playing boys. Her older sister, Michaela longs for a normal eighteen-year-old life and looks forward to the change. Katie calls their new house "The Monstrosity." A deer shows up in their yard, and she falls up the stairs at school. She does not have a clue about boys, but is comforted that Autumn wants to be friends. Katie begins to realize that the closeness she savors with her sister is slipping away because Heather is taking Michaela's interest. Now, Katie is all about ending the Tyranny of the Older Sister. As the gap between Katie and Michaela widens, Katie knows there is a secret somewhere, but how can she find out unless she becomes a spy? New York Times bestselling author Aimee Friedman has written a teen novel reminiscent of the picture book, "The Country Mouse and the City Mouse." Reviewer: JoAn Watson Martin

VOYA - Dawn Talbott

Katie Wilder is a ballet-dancing city girl through and through. She looks up to her best friend and sister, Michaela, a remarkable dancer who will attend Julliard. But when the Wilder sisters are moved to rural, upstate New York, their lives are drastically changed. Michaela blossoms in the new environment and pursues her true desires, whereas Katie struggles to make friends and deal with life outside of the city. Friedman's writing is straightforward and lighthearted. The text is easy to read and entertaining in a present tense, diary-like style that incorporates humor and realism. She makes the story very relevant and accessible to teens by including technology that teens use every day, such as instant messaging and texting. Katie IMs her friends back in New York City and texts her sister during breaks at school. Katie reads e-mails and chat logs on Michaela's computer, which exposes a big secret that shakes the girls' weakening bond. Friedman also touches on subjects that many teens will experience at some point, such as the changing relationship between the sisters, adjusting to a new place when the family moves, mending fences when anger and suspicion cause Katie to make hurtful mistakes, and realizing that stereotypes are not always true. Katie must work through each of these issues, and readers grow along with her. The engaging style and realistic conflicts of everyday life make the book fit well in junior and senior high school collections. Reviewer: Dawn Talbott

School Library Journal

Gr 6 Up- Katie Wilder, 14, is convinced that her family's move from Manhattan to rural upstate New York is the worst thing that could happen. A city girl through and through, she can't imagine living where denim overalls and plaid shirts are the outfits of choice. She and her sister were both ballerinas in New York City. Michaela was the star pupil that Katie always wanted to be, with a place at Julliard after graduation. So when Michaela actually likes and fits in at Fir Lake, Katie feels totally left out. She can't understand what's gotten into her older sister, who's keeping a couple of shattering (for Katie) secrets. Katie is so jealous when Michaela gets a hot boyfriend and is elected homecoming queen that she can hardly stand it. After several months, Katie finally finds a friend and starts liking the small town, which takes the pressure off Michaela to be Katie's everything. Though the conflict seems perhaps a little too weak to carry a 400-page book, and parts of the plot seem totally unrealistic, the story is still likely to be popular. There's sweetness in Friedman's teen world, and some of her characters are delightful. And who can resist a good sister book?-Catherine Ensley, Latah County Free Library District, Moscow, ID

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