The Do-Over

Jennifer Torres's The Do-Over is a warm family story for 9 year olds about twin sisters with a secret plan to fix their parents' divorce during lockdown.

What happens

Lucinda and Raquel are twelve, and they used to be as close as twins get. Since their dad moved five hours away, bossy Raquel has started running everyone's life. She sends colour-coded schedules every morning and even tries to teach Lucinda the right way to fold a towel ("She is editing the laundry").

Lucinda just wants to skate. She has a big competition coming up and then the ice rink shuts. School shuts too, and Mum stockpiles so much toilet paper that it's hidden in every cupboard in the flat.

When Mum decides the girls should go and stay with their dad on his farm, Raquel sees her chance. What if Mum came too? Maybe, just maybe, their parents would remember how things used to be.

It's the old parent-trap idea, and the girls know it (a friend even suggests it after watching an old film). But there's a complication. Their dad has a girlfriend called Sylvia, and there's a surprise waiting for them when they get to the farm.

The chapters swap between the two sisters, so you get both sides of every argument. Raquel's newspaper articles and Lucinda's lockdown diary for school are dropped in between, which gives it a really lively feel.

It's very funny about those strange first weeks. Mum makes hand sanitiser at home and cuts hair whenever she's got something to think through (this time Lucinda gets stuck in the chair, even though it was Raquel's turn). The grumpy tabby cat is called Crybaby.

There are more serious moments too. A kind neighbour downstairs falls ill with the virus, and the girls are scared for her.

If your reader remembers lockdown, a lot of this will feel familiar. For a child who's been through a divorce or has a new step-family, it's gentle and honest about wanting things to go back to how they were.

What to read next

If they're after another girl with a very determined big sister, try The Fresh New Face of Griselda, also by Jennifer Torres. Geez tags along while Maribel knocks on doors selling make-up, and Maribel does not take no for an answer!