A SISTER LIKE YOU
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Two sisters who are brought up in very different families meet as teenagers, but for Ella and Ari building a relationship isn't easy at first. Warm-hearted story of friendship, family and looking out for each other for 9-12-year-old readers.
"A Sister Like You is a moving story of family, feelings and finding your voice." Mitch Johnson, author of Strike
"A joy to read! Warm, wonderfully written, brilliantly inclusive, and with characters I was rooting for from start to finish. I loved it." Jen Carney, author of The Accidental Diary of B.U.G
"A wonderful tale about complicated families, music and finding courage to be yourself." Maisie Chan, author of Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths
what's it about?
Ella and Ari are very different.
Ella lives with her mum, who has old-fashioned standards, and her beloved but unwell grandma. Problems at her old school make her scared to speak up for herself.
Ari grew up with her two dads - an accident-prone, outspoken, enthusiastic, angry kid, who often speaks without thinking.
They both knew that they have a sister out there somewhere, but were adopted separately and never lived together. They first meet by chance when Ari and Ella both join a new school - but friendship isn't easy to build, until they have to rely on each other through difficult times.
why did i write it?
As someone with quite an unusual family, I'm interested in families and family relationships. What makes a family - is it growing up together, a blood connection, a choice, shared values or something more?
I interviewed lots of families formed by adoption when I was writing Pride and Joy, which helped inform Ella and Ari's experiences. But the idea for this particular story was sparked by listening to a father on a podcast talk about how something very similar happened to his son.
I'm not much of a singer myself, but I love the feeling you get singing with other people and how this brings you closer, so I knew I wanted Ella and Ari to meet through music and use this connection to unlock their emotions and bring them closer.