Smaller Sister
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5.0 • 3 Ratings
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
A moving, relatable middle grade graphic novel about the everlasting bond of sisterhood, perfect for fans of Real Friends, Squished, Invisible Emmie, and Allergic.
Lucy's always looked up to her big sister, Olivia, even though the two are polar opposites. But then, Lucy notices Olivia starts to change. Olivia doesn't want to play with Lucy anymore, she's unhappy with the way she looks, and she's refusing to eat her dinner. Finally, Lucy discovers that her sister is not just growing up: Olivia is also struggling with an eating disorder.
While her family is focused on her sister's recovery, Lucy is left alone to navigate school and friendships. Lucy feels lonely and like she's always on the verge of messing up.
But with time, work, and self-love, both sisters begin to heal. Soon enough, Olivia and Lucy find their way back to each other—because sisters are forever.
Writing from personal experience, debut author Maggie Edkins Willis delivers a thoughtful, sensitive, and universally relatable story in Smaller Sister. Sure to resonate with fans of Nat Enough and Click.
A Texas Little Mavericks 2023 Graphic Novel Reading List Selection
A School Library Journal Best Book of 2022
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Willis's nuanced story of two white sisters navigating the middle school social minefield paints a realistic but hopeful portrait of the siblings' relationship with anorexia nervosa. Lucy, who is a rising fifth grader at the story's beginning, has always idolized her older sister Livy, only 20 months her senior. But when they start at a new school, they drift apart as Livy, rocked by the sudden change, exerts control by throwing away food and constantly exercising. The girls' parents intervene with love, occasional missteps, and a bevy of professionals, but Livy continues to lose weight, experiencing dysmorphia and suicidal ideation. Gradually, Livy begins to recover—just in time for a move to Boston that causes the sisters' well-being to seesaw. Lucy loses her youthful confidence under the punishing gaze of the new school's mean girls and starts trying to lose weight, telling her sister, "I can be better than you at this, Olivia." But Livy's support, combined with a confidence-boosting summer at theater camp and a couple of good friends, helps Lucy climb out of the dark hole of self-loathing. With ample empathy and expressive watercolors that depict a range of body types and skin tones, Willis's cathartic debut foregrounds a deep sisterly bond at a crossroads. Ages 8–12.
