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Lauren Baratz-Logsted's The Sisters 8 - Georgia's Greatness is a zany mystery for 6 year olds about eight sisters, eight cats and one very grumpy Georgia.
The Huit girls are octuplets. Their parents went missing on New Year's Eve and nobody knows where they went. So the eight sisters are secretly living on their own, with a suit of armour dressed up as Daddy in the front room (only to fool nosy neighbours, obviously).
Each month one sister finds a special power and a special gift. March is Georgia's turn. She's not thrilled about it.
Then a soggy carrier pigeon smacks into the window with her gift tied under its wing. Georgia takes one look and decides it's the wrong moment for a gift. So she stuffs it back under the pigeon's wing and sends it away! The sisters are horrified. Georgia is quite horrified too, once she's thought about it.
At school their grumpy teacher is off sick. The new teacher is gorgeous, glamorous and sends them off for recess first thing on Monday morning. Everyone adores her straight away. Well, almost everyone. Mandy Stenko is suspicious.
It's told by all eight sisters at once, as "we", and the book itself chats to your reader now and then too. The jokes come thick and fast. Petal worries about everything (floods, arks, lopsided legs). Rebecca says no to everything. Annie defines every long word whether you asked or not.
The parents' disappearance hangs over the series, and the girls keep adding "or died" to it. It's played lightly, but a child who worries about losing a parent might pick up on it. Georgia also shouts "bloody" at the pigeon once.
If your reader likes silly, wordy fun with a mystery running underneath, they'll probably love the Eights. There are plenty of big words, so it's lovely to share.
If they haven't met the sisters yet, it's best to go back to Annie's Adventures, where the girls first realise that Mommy and Daddy haven't come back from fetching the eggnog and the firewood.
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