Dear Brother

Ages 10 And Up, Grades 5 And Up

Diary of a Wimpy Kid gets a little sister twist in this wildly funny and highly illustrated companion to middle grade novel Dear Sister from New York Times bestselling author Alison McGhee that brings sibling rivalry—and love—to life through a series of letters.

Sister has been the overlooked younger sibling for years. She knows the drill. Her brother’s banjo band is praised while no one acknowledges Sister’s bongo skills. Sister does the grunt work, but Brother gets the credit. But this time, the blatant injustice has gone too far. This time, America’s Famous Nothing has been granted the incredible power of choosing the family pet. And what does he choose? Certainly not a dog, the pet Sister has begged and pleaded for—a pet the whole family could love. No, Brother chooses a bearded dragon.

Sister is outraged. The picture of injured dignity, she refuses to acknowledge the creature’s existence. It doesn’t matter how much it stares at her or bobs its head to her bongo-ing, Sister is unmoved. Then, adding insult to injury, Brother gets to go to summer camp, leaving Sister at home to take care of his disgusting lizard.

Sister refuses to suffer in silence. She sends Brother letter after letter detailing her disdain for the scaly burden he’s saddled her with—even if the aptly named Frightful isn’t too awful. To her surprise, Brother’s letters in reply reveal camp may not be everything he thought—and as their correspondence continues, the two siblings begin to find common ground. Sister may even develop a newfound appreciation for Brother…maybe.

About the Author

Alison McGhee is the New York Times bestselling author of Someday, as well as Dear Sister, What I Leave Behind, Pablo and Birdy, Where We Are, Maybe a Fox with Kathi Appelt, Firefly Hollow, Little Boy, So Many Days, Star Bright, A Very Brave Witch, Dear Brother, and the Bink and Gollie books. Her other children’s books include All Rivers Flow to the Sea, Countdown to Kindergarten, and Snap!. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Laguna Beach, California. You can visit her at AlisonMcGhee.com.

Tuan Nini is a visual artist working with illustration, comics, and animation. She is drawn to the notion of time and rhythm, finding parallels across speech and writing, dance and music, and informing the human sensibility in her work of visual storytelling. Nini is from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and lives in Bucharest, Romania.