The Sisters 8 7 – Rebecca’s Rashness

Lauren Baratz-Logsted's Rebecca's Rashness is a Sisters 8 adventure for 6 year olds, and this time it's the grumpiest sister's turn.

What happens

The Huit girls are octuplets and they live on their own. Their parents vanished on New Year's Eve, and the eight of them have been running the house ever since (with a robot called Betty and a talking fridge called Carl, who aren't always much help). One by one, each sister has to discover her own power and her own gift. It's July. And July is Rebecca's month.

Nobody's thrilled. Rebecca's the fierce one who sneers at everybody. Seven of the Eights are dreading what she'll get!

Rebecca, meanwhile, is preparing. At one minute past midnight she's doing pull-ups on the chandelier and shouting "Hup one! Hup two!" By breakfast she's drunk every egg in the fridge, raw. Durinda, who does the cooking, is NOT impressed.

The whole book is told by the sisters together as "we", so it's like being dropped into one very noisy family. They interrupt, bicker and tease. Petal is terrified of being squashed by a tower of creamed corn. Marcia can't stop correcting everyone. Zinnia keeps suggesting a party. It's daft and it's very warm.

When something big finally happens, it's in a supermarket car park and it involves a very heavy car. No spoilers, but it's brilliant.

A quick word about the raw eggs, in case you've got a little copycat at home. The sisters themselves say it's dangerous and hope nobody tries it, which is a nice touch.

This is the seventh book, and the opening pages have a quick catch-up on which sister has which power. A new reader could follow along. The mystery of the missing parents builds across the whole series, though, so it's much more fun from the beginning.

What to read next

If this one goes down well, go back to Annie's Adventures, the night the parents disappear and eight girls realise they're on their own.