It’s a Baby, Andy Russell

David A. Adler's It's a Baby, Andy Russell is a funny family story for 7 year olds about a boy whose new brother arrives on the same day as his fussiest aunt.

What happens

Andy, his big sister Rachel and their friend Tamika get home from school to coats all over the hall floor. Breakfast is still on the table. Was it a raccoon down the chimney? No. Mum has gone to hospital to have the baby!

Andy can hardly believe it. He's already decided it's a brother called Evan (Rachel says the test could be wrong and then HE'LL be the odd one out).

The bad news is the last message on the answering machine. Aunt Janet is on her way to help.

Aunt Janet worries about everything. She worries about germs, and she finds the dirty plate Andy hid under the clean ones straight away. She makes an omelette with string beans and peas in it. And she's scared stiff of anything that looks like a mouse.

That's a problem, because Andy has a snake called Slither, a goldfish called Sylvia and about twenty gerbils in the basement. When Aunt Janet mentions she once had to give her dog away, Andy is SURE his pets are next. So he starts smuggling them away, one tank at a time.

The fun is that your reader can see what Andy can't. Tamika keeps telling him Aunt Janet never said any such thing. Andy is certain he's "a whole staircase ahead" of her anyway.

You're right inside Andy's head the whole time. He mutters cheeky things she can't quite hear. He tapes a NO SWIMMING sign over the toilet. And rather than eat his Vege-Eggs he slips a handful into his trouser pocket. Who hasn't wanted to do that with a dinner they didn't like?

There's lots of warmth under the jokes too. Andy can't wait to meet Evan. The trip to the hospital to see him through the nursery window is lovely.

If there's a new baby on the way in your house, this could be a really fun one to read together. It's the sixth Andy Russell book, but it explains everything you need, like why Tamika is staying with the Russells while her parents get better.

What to read next

If they'd like more of Andy and Tamika, try Andy Russell, Not Wanted by the Police. The two of them are keeping an eye on the empty house next door, and somebody seems to be leaving rubbish in the bin.