THE SECOND FAVORITE DAUGHTERS CLUB

Two overlooked middle schoolers hatch plans to get the better of their exasperating families.

Santana Barnes is sick of having to watch her older sister Victoria’s ballet recitals and tired of constantly being beholden to overachieving Victoria’s busy routines. Casey Hammond has just moved to town with her father and younger sister, Sage. She feels like a third wheel, the serious, cautious one filling in for her flighty absentee mom, while her free-spirited father has fun with playful Sage. As the new arrival, she’s in search of meaningful connection. Santana and Casey’s serendipitous meeting and ensuing friendship form the heart of the story, which is narrated in their alternating third-person points of view. The two girls confide in one another about their frustration, loneliness, and wish to be treated differently by their parents. Santana, however, is also determined to knock her sister down a peg with some elaborate plans—“tiny earthquakes that would jumble and rearrange Victoria’s perfect life.” Cupcake sabotage and purple slime are involved. Charting an appealing middle path between the easy entertainment of madcap humor and lengthy meditations on difficult feelings, this novel contains elements of both but situates its protagonists within loving families and a largely positive social environment, with palpable sadness nonetheless affecting their lives and choices. Main characters are cued white.

Paced to entertain with humorous, richly developed protagonists; a compelling, clever read.