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The Worst Thing About My Sister ISBN: 9780385618939
Sharratt, Nick and Wilson, Jacqueline
Published by Doubleday UK, 2012
Here are two sisters who really don't get along! Melissa, the elder, is a girly pink-lover, very tidy and into make-up. Marty is a tom boy and very apt to get herself into mischief; she also tells the story. The two of them have physical battles as well as verbal ones, and when mum announces she needs Marty's room, the Marty Den, for her new sewing business and that Marty will have to move in with Melissa, the fur really flies. The girls agree under pressure, but Marty particularly resents the move. She has an alter ego, Mighty Mart, who is a sort of super girl, and as she also draws comic pictures, Mighty Mart features heavily. There are references to money problems in the family. Dad's work as a travel agent isn't going well, and Marty, who is very close to him, feels for his sadness. This is, however, a close family in most ways, and except for the girls very different personalities, a happy one. As always with Jacqueline Wilson, the interest is in the detail and in the very real family relationships. Marty has trouble making friends. She is unusual, different, and when she does finally make a friend, Jaydene, she finds it hard to accept that Jaydene actually likes Melissa too. There is much to do with jealousy in the story, but Marty is a feisty and lovable girl, and she realises after almost causing Melissa a serious hurt, that she really does love her after all. Wilson fans will love this, as they do all her books.
Age: 8+