Book Talk Tuesday: Cloudy with a Chance of Boys by Megan McDonald

Cloudy with a Chance of Boys
(The Sisters Club Series)
written by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Pamela A. Consolazio
Candlewick Press, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7636-4615-8
Interest Level: Grades 3-6
Reviewed from purchased copy.

BLURB:  As the middle sister in a family with three girls, Stevie Reel doesn’t know much about boys, and that’s always been just fine with her. But lately, things have been changing: kids at school are starting to pair up, and Owen, the new boy in her Earth Science class, seems to have his sights set on Stevie. The trouble is, Stevie doesn’t want a boyfriend- she’s not even sure she’s ready to have a boy friend. And her sisters, who know exactly where they stand on the issue of boys, are no help: drama queen Alex is busy trying to orchestrate a perfect, Romeo-and-Juliet-style first kiss from her heartthrob, Scott Towel (er, Howell), while Joey can’t understand why anyone would like a boy better than a frog anyway. If only figuring out boys were as easy as predicting the weather.

I quite enjoyed this series.  As the author of the Judy Moody and Stink books, Megan McDonald has already shown her grasp of elementary age children and how they think and act.  This third book in the Sisters Club series shows that she grasps equally well the challenges of middle school and the changes that make this time of life so confusing.

The format that includes regular chapters (Stevie's point of view), scripts (Alex's point of view), and notes from Joey's notebook (Joey is the youngest of the three sisters).  This design allows the reader to see how differently each of the three sisters see the world around them and their various experiences. Having several sisters myself I found I could easily relate to Stevie and her sisters and the ups and downs of their relationships.  It also brought back memories of my own middle school experiences, which I would not want to relive for anything (shudder, shudder).

Overall, this series provides some light reading for girls who are ready to move beyond the Judy Moody and Junie B. series.  The first book in the series is The Sisters Club.  Book two is called The Sisters Club: Rule of Three.

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