School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-Nine-year-old Sassy usually is the one who gets stuck with the last piece of chicken or the last choice of jelly beans in the bowl because she is the youngest and smallest member of the Sanford clan. Her stature has earned her the nickname Little Sister, much to her chagrin. Sassy feels there's a special sparkly part hiding deep within her; it just needs some help to shine through. At times the story seems a little too pat and cliched. It's what's inside that counts, Grammy tells the child. The chapter book is short on plot and conflict, but is full of strong, believable characters. Draper is at her best when describing people. "Daddy says I have a Krispy Kreme face, warm and sweet, but who wants to look like a doughnut?" Readers will get a kick out of some of the vignettes as when Sassy's classmate gets his head stuck between the rungs of a chair or when her brother's bladder is about to burst on the elevator. A likable enough story, but not an essential purchase.-Beth Cuddy, Seward Elementary School, Auburn, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Two-time Coretta Scott King Award-winner Draper hits her middle-grade target in this cheerful yet reflective novel about feeling appreciated and finding one's place. "I'm pretty invisible around here," complains fourth-grader Sassy, who is annoyed that her parents and older siblings insist on calling her "Little Sister," and that she's always last in the family pecking order. Though she also grumbles about having to wear a drab uniform to school, Sassy does her best to look "distinctive and unique" by wearing glittery fingernail polish and shimmering lip gloss-and by toting her "Sassy Sack." Made by her beloved Granny, this colorful bag holds everything from Life Savers to shoelaces, sunglasses to mittens. "Even I'm not sure what all's in there, but I know when I reach down into it, I always seem to find exactly what I need," she says. A "Who Am I" class project and a situation in which Sassy's diminutive stature saves the day underscore Draper's clever and careful consideration of external and internal qualities. Filled with energy and opinion, Sassy more than lives up to her name. Ages 7-10. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
If Sassy had her way, everything from the family pecking order to the school uniforms would change for the better. As it is, the diminutive fourth grader has to settle for little bits of flair, especially her grandma-designed Sassy Sack handbag. In a heartwarming if predictable plot, Sassy discovers that her small size and fearless attitude can be assets in a crisis. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Nine-year-old Sassy, the youngest child in an active, warm family, wants to be taken seriously. Teasing seventh-grade brother Sabin and sophisticated 16-year-old sister Sadora get to be called their given names, but Sassy is called Little Sister most of the time. Her loving African-American family gets so busy that they sometimes even forget she is there, despite her fancy clothes and unique style. But Sassy never forgets them. Whenever there is an emergency, Sassy is there with her Sassy Sack, full of just what is needed, from lip gloss to glue to a flashlight. Sassy might be small, but she is the right size to save the day just when her family needs her most. While her first-person voice sometimes slips from a genuine-sounding fourth grader to that of an adult, Sassy's story of family, school and one special grandmother is a sweet one. Newly independent readers, especially little girls who love fashion, will identify with Sassy and will look forward to more stories about her life and family. (Fiction. 7-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Sassy finds her school uniform boring, and she loves shopping at the mall, dressing up, and eating out at fancy places. As the youngest in her African American family, she hates being called Little Sister, but it is hard to get her busy parents to hear her. In fact, she feels pretty invisible at home, except when her beloved Grammy, who first turned her on to reading, comes to visit and performs as a professional storyteller in Sassy's school. Draper is an award-winning teacher and writer, and the classroom scenes, including the teacher's mistakes, are as much fun as the family uproar. Told in Sassy's lively voice, this first title in the new Sassy series is more than a situation, and in the story's dramatic climax, it is the smallest kid who saves the day. Young grade-schoolers will eagerly wait for more about resourceful, sparky Sassy and her search for herself.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2009 Booklist
