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Operation Sisterhood

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By Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
New York: Crown Books for Young Readers, 2022. Fiction.

11-year-old Bo is used to her quiet, cozy life with her single mother in their one-bedroom apartment in the Bronx. But when Mum announces her engagement to Bill, who makes Mum smile more than she ever has, Bo knows that big changes are coming. Changes like a new stepsister named Sunday, a move to Harlem, a change to "free schooling" and a big new chosen family with two more sisters, twins named Lee and Lil, and their parents who share Bill's brownstone along with a slew of pets. Bo's new family is welcoming and happy to include her, but the transition is overwhelming for Bo -- especially since she feels like she never gets time alone with Mum anymore. Still, she begins to grow closer to her sisters as the girls plan a neighborhood block party to celebrate Mum and Bill's marriage.

This is a happy novel about a blended family coming together and discovering all the different definitions of what it means to be a family. Though the cast of characters is pretty sprawling, each of the family members stands out as a vibrant and relatable character. An extra sprinkle of Black Girl Magic and an authentic depiction of Black girlhood is especially welcome. Rhuday-Perkovich was inspired by other stories of big families living in New York City and this new family with Bo, Sunday, Lil, and Lee, is one that readers will certainly want to join.
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