Sisters by Raina Telgemeier

Summary from Goodreads:

Three weeks. Two sisters. One car. A True Story

Raina can't wait to be a big sister. But once Amara is born, things aren't quite how she expected them to be. Amara is cute, but she's also a cranky, grouchy baby, and mostly prefers to play by herself. Their relationship doesn't improve much over the years. But when a baby brother enters the picture, and later, when something doesn't seem right between their parents, they realize they must figure out how to get along. They are sisters, after all.

Review:

I love Raina Telgemeier. Seriously, her graphic novels are always so light, fun, colorful, and easy to read. I am a big fan of Smile, and I was happy to learn of this sequel. While all the best elements of the first book were still here, this one was very different.

Smile was all about Raina and her inner turmoil. This one is all about her relationship with her sister, her very outward relationship. I love all the flashbacks woven in among the current car ride. I completely relate to Raina initially wishing for a sister. I have two brothers and I always wanted a sister as a kid, someone to play dolls and stuffed animals with, some one to share clothes with and be best friends with. And I love how real this all felt to me. Again, it was autobiographical so I guess it makes sense that it would feel so real.

I also connected to Raina’s reunion with her cousins. People grow up and change in different directions when you’re not paying attention. Her cousin moved on from skating and into makeup and fashion. And Raina just didn’t feel like she fit in with her any more. And the cool thing about this is it’s timeless –this feeling of not belonging anywhere. It doesn’t matter that this story takes place when Raina listened to a walkman. Just swap it with iPhone ear buds.

The plot is a simple one. It’s basically a road trip story. All of the author’s skill with illustrating the details and the flashbacks are what made this stand out as being so special. She truly turned this simple story into something a little bit different. I still don’t like it as much as I liked the first book. However, it was a lot of fun. I give it an 8/10.