Publisher: Aladdin M!X
Release Date: September 29th 2015
Pages: 240
Age Range: Middle Grade
Received from publisher for review
When Sammi finds out that her younger sister Jorgianna is going to skip TWO grades and end up at her school, Sammi makes her sign an agreement that the two won't talk to each other, since Sammi is quite sure Jorgianne will snow her under at school, the way Sammi sees it, Jorgianna is way more popular than her and excells in almost everything as she is pretty smart.
Release Date: September 29th 2015
Pages: 240
Age Range: Middle Grade
Received from publisher for review
When Sammi finds out that her younger sister Jorgianna is going to skip TWO grades and end up at her school, Sammi makes her sign an agreement that the two won't talk to each other, since Sammi is quite sure Jorgianne will snow her under at school, the way Sammi sees it, Jorgianna is way more popular than her and excells in almost everything as she is pretty smart.
One of Sammi's goals was to get in the group of the most popular girls at school. But when Jorgianna comes to her school, she immediately is accepted into the popular clique, so it's impossible for Sammi to join anymore. More and more, it seems like everything goes wrong for Sammi, but right for Jorgianna, and from sister camaraderie their bond turns into total sister rivalry. But there’s more to each sister’s story than the other realizes. And when the popular girls start to show their true colors to Jorgianna, can these siblings finally put aside their differences and show the queen bees who’s boss?
The plot was fun and the characters of Sammi and Jorgianna where realistic. It has a lot of sister drama but it never got over the top or annoying. Jorgianna was a little obnoxious sometimes and got a little too much into being popular. Sammi started dating Noah which was very cute. Noah was very nice and true boyfriend material At some points I got a little lost in the story because so much was happening all at once. But besides that this is a middle grade read not to miss because this is fun and very entertaining read!
Q&A with author Trudi Trueit
Ever since writing and directing her first play in the fourth grade, Trudi Trueit has loved storytelling. In her career, she's been a TV news reporter, PR specialist, freelance writer, and now, children's author. She's published more than 90 fiction and nonfiction titles for kids, from pre-k through teen. Her fiction titles include The Secrets of a Lab Rat series (Aladdin), Stealing Popular (Aladdin M!X) and The Sister Solution (Aladdin M!X). Trudi's married to her college sweetheart, Bill, and lives to serve her cats, Bernadette, Kira, and Pippin.
In writing The Sister Solution where did you start? Where did you find inspiration for the characters and the story?
Ever since writing and directing her first play in the fourth grade, Trudi Trueit has loved storytelling. In her career, she's been a TV news reporter, PR specialist, freelance writer, and now, children's author. She's published more than 90 fiction and nonfiction titles for kids, from pre-k through teen. Her fiction titles include The Secrets of a Lab Rat series (Aladdin), Stealing Popular (Aladdin M!X) and The Sister Solution (Aladdin M!X). Trudi's married to her college sweetheart, Bill, and lives to serve her cats, Bernadette, Kira, and Pippin.
In writing The Sister Solution where did you start? Where did you find inspiration for the characters and the story?
My inspiration for the story and character actually goes all the way back to my childhood! When I was a girl, my favorite books were those with siblings. I loved the sibling relationships portrayed in books like Little Women, Sense & Sensibility, and From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. What drew me in was the honesty. The authors didn’t idealize their characters lives. You saw it all, from the petty arguments to the major sacrifices.
I am a younger sister (I have an older sister and a younger brother, which also makes me a middle child). I remember how helpless I felt when my sister would get to do things ahead of me. She was the first to wear make-up, go on a date, and do all those grown-up things that I was desperate to do. The spark for this book came when I thought it might be interesting to put a twist on that idea. What if Jorgianna, the younger sister, got all of the things her older sister, Sammi, wanted and got them first? How would that affect their relationship? And if they were very opposite girls in demeanor and interests, would it drive a wedge between them? Or could they find some common ground? I wasn’t sure how they would do, honestly. I just put them at opposite ends of the spectrum, started writing, and prayed they’d find their way.
What were the challenges (literary, research, psychological and logistical) in bringing the book to life?
Originally, I had planned to write the story from Sammi’s (the older sister’s) point of view in first person. As a younger sister, I already knew how Jorgianna felt, so I wanted to focus on Sammi’s crumbling world as she learned her baby sister was going to be skipping two grades to join her in middle school. But I didn’t get more than a few chapters in when I felt something wasn’t right. It was almost as if Jorgianna, who is pretty feisty and outspoken anyway, tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Hey, don’t you want to hear my side of the story?” So I started again, this time writing the book in alternating points of view. I was definitely nervous about it, though, because it’s the first time I’ve alternated narrators in a book. It was a risk. It was important that each sister have her own distinct voice and identity. I’ve read books where I was constantly flipping back to try to figure out who was speaking and the last thing I wanted to do was confuse readers!
I, typically, don’t do an extensive outline when I write, but because I was going to be alternating narrators, I needed to ensure I was giving each sister equal time on the page, or as equal as I could given the circumstances. That was probably my biggest challenge. Try giving your kids equal time to plead their case to you and you’ll know just how I felt!
What was the timeline from spark to publication, and what were the significant highlights along the way?
It took a little over a year from initial concept to publication. My editor at Aladdin, Alyson Heller, is a dream editor. I had worked with Alyson before, on STEALING POPULAR, my first book for Aladdin M!X, released in 2012. Once that book was completed, we started talking about doing another book and I pitched her several ideas, one of them being THE SISTER SOLUTION. I thought she might prefer to go another way, but this was the one that grabbed her and I’m so glad it did. I couldn’t wait to write it. After I got the go-ahead, it took me about five months to write the book. For the most part, everything went smoothly, although I had trouble coming up with a name for the older sister. I can’t say why – nothing seemed to fit. It was strange because usually the name is the first thing that I settle on. It’s what drives the character forward, but not this time. One day, my husband, a teacher, came home from school and mentioned he’d heard some good news about one of his former students, a extraordinary young lady who’d fought and survived pediatric brain cancer. Her name was Sammy! That was it. I changed the y to an i to make it a bit more unique and I had my sister! The book is also dedicated to Sammy.
What do you want young readers to take away from reading The Sister Solution?
I hope it gives them a bit of empathy for an older sibling if they are younger, or a younger sibling if they are older. When I was young, all I could see was that my sister was getting to do the things I wanted to do. It never crossed my mind that she might be scared to be the first one to dip her toes in the water and longed for an elder sister, who could give her some sage advice. I hope readers see how powerful and resilient the sibling bond can be. Friends come and go, but your sister remains, and if you nurture that relationship you will always have someone in your life you can count on.
What is your next project?
I’m currently writing another book for the Aladdin M!X line. In fact, the deadline for submitting the draft to my editor is the end of October, so it’s definitely crunch time! At the moment, the book is titled America Kestrel, and it’s the story of a girl from Seattle who, rather unwillingly, goes to visit her grandmother in Canada for the summer. She ends up trying to save her grandmother’s lodge from being sold to real estate developers. It’s a story about standing up for what you believe in, even when the odds are against you. Look for it in the spring of 2017!
