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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Newberg Public Library | J FICTION MCDONALD | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Salem Main Library | J McDonald, M. | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
The Sisters Club is a novel centering on three sisters.
Author Notes
Megan McDonald was born February 28, 1959, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She grew up in the 1960s the youngest of five girls - which later became the inspiration of the Sister's Club. She attended Oberlin College and received a B.A. in English, then she went on to receive a Library Science degree at Pittsburgh University in 1986. Before becoming a full-time writer, McDonald had a variety of jobs working in libraries, bookstores, museums, and even as a park ranger.She was children's librarian, working at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Minneapolis Public Library and Adams Memorial Library in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. She has received various awards for her storytelling including a Judy Blume Contemporary Fiction Award, a Children's Choice Book award, and a Keystone State Award among others. McDonald has also written many picture books for younger children and continues to write. Her most recent work was the "Julie Albright" series of books for the American public. She currently resides in Sebastopol, California with her husband and pets.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-5-Sisters are forever. At least, that's what Joey, Stevie, and Alex, ages, 8, 10, and 12, believe.ÅAs members of the Sister's Club they have to stick together.ÅIn a quirky family of actors, Stevie narrates as Joey writes in her journal and Alex scripts dramatic scenes, each telling the story of how Joey and Stevie plot to get Alex's crush to kiss her, culminating in the event where Alex decides to divorce her sisters and quit the Club forever.ÅWill Alex ever rejoin the Club? The narrative is told in four "acts" with an intermission. Megan McDonald's story (American Girl, 2003) is nicely narrated by Jessica Almasy, Michal Friedman, and Suzy Jackson.ÅFans of Beverly Cleary's Ramona series will enjoy this silly, fun, and thoroughly delectable listen.-Terry Ann Lawler, Phoenix Public Library, AZ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
The creator of the Judy Moody novels introduces a trio of similarly spunky girls, three sisters-ages eight, 10 and "123/4"-whose parents are both actors. Their mother lands a job as the host of a TV cooking show (though she has no culinary skills) and their father spends much of his time creating sets for a local theater. In this novel divided into four acts (plus an intermission), the three siblings take turns playing the role of narrator. The eldest, aspiring thespian Alex, offers her take on the goings-on through scripts sprinkled with sometimes acerbic asides. Joey, the youngest, relays her side of the story through chatty notebook entries, which include such sidebars as a list of her favorite stuffed animals and the reasons why she loves Jell-O. Occupying center stage is Stevie (whose only acting experience to date was a short, disastrous run as a human pinata) who reveals her fears that her position as middle child renders her invisible and calls herself "Plain old boring vanilla." Yet her father likens her to the vanilla middle of an Oreo ("You're the creamy center of the cookie that holds it all together. You're the glue"), and she proves him right. Stevie assumes the role of family chef (with comically calamitous results), acts as peacemaker and fills in for Alex on stage when she breaks her foot mid-performance. Featuring many madcap moments, McDonald's family comedy is both affecting and believable. Ages 10-up. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Sisters Alex, Stevie, and Joey narrate this slight story. Alex, the eldest, wants to be an actress and is starting to outgrow her younger sisters' childish games, while Stevie and Joey struggle to keep their relationship close by forming a Sisters Club--secret knock and all. The usual family dynamics are at work here, and most readers will recognize their own family in this quick, entertaining read. From HORN BOOK Spring 2004, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
The show must go on with the Reel family. Sisters Alex, 12, Stevie, 10, and Joey, 8, negotiate the waters of sisterhood better than most. Except for middle-child Stevie, the Reel family is born with the acting bug. Dad is the set builder for the Raven Theater and mom, dad, and oldest sister Alex are all actors. Using a combination of personal journals, family-life scripts, and first-person narratives from each sister's point of view, McDonald paints the picture of an entirely normal family in a somewhat unusual line of work. While working on Beauty and the Beast, Alex survives her first crush, a boy coming over for dinner, a kiss, squabbles with her sisters, and a broken ankle right in the middle of the play. But the sisters rally and the show is saved. A light-hearted, enjoyable production for all, especially the reader. (Fiction. 7-11) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Gr. 4-7. The three Reel sisters, ages 8 to almost 13, have acting in their blood. More than 100 years ago, their great-great-grandmother built the house in which they live and founded the Raven Theater next door. Their parents are actors, so it's no wonder that life in the Reel household pivots around auditions, rehearsals, set construction, and performances. Even the girls' daily interactions with one another are theatrical, thanks to author McDonald's flair for quick repartee and her skill at transforming preadolescent high jinks into hilarious episodes. McDonald even pokes fun at Shakespeare as this eclectically composed novel unfolds through middle-sister Stevie's narration, the journal entries of Joey, the youngest sister, and the light dramatic scenes scripted by Alex, the oldest. Some reflection on the impact of theater on audiences as well as on actors, examples of the girls' testing their self-reliance to help out in a two-working-parent household, and lots of genuine family affection surfaces among the flooding floors, disastrous dinners, and entertaining meetings of the Sisters Club. --Ellen Mandel Copyright 2003 Booklist