Little Sister Is Not My Name! by Sharon M. Draper

Whenever there is an emergency, Sassy is there with her Sassy Sack, full of just what is needed, from lip gloss to glue to a flashlight. Her loving African-American family gets so busy that they sometimes even forget she is there, despite her fancy clothes and unique style. Teasing seventh-grade brother Sabin and sophisticated 16-year-old sister Sadora get to be called their given names, but Sassy is called Little Sister most of the time. Kirkus Review Nine-year-old Sassy, the youngest child in an active, warm family, wants to be taken seriously. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. A likable enough story, but not an essential purchase.-Beth Cuddy, Seward Elementary School, Auburn, NY (c) Copyright 2010. 'Daddy says I have a Krispy Kreme face, warm and sweet, but who wants to look like a doughnut?' Readers will get a kick out of some of the vignettes as when Sassy's classmate gets his head stuck between the rungs of a chair or when her brother's bladder is about to burst on the elevator. Draper is at her best when describing people. The chapter book is short on plot and conflict, but is full of strong, believable characters. It's what's inside that counts, Grammy tells the child. At times the story seems a little too pat and cliched. Sassy feels there's a special sparkly part hiding deep within her it just needs some help to shine through. Her stature has earned her the nickname Little Sister, much to her chagrin. School Library Journal Review Gr 2-4-Nine-year-old Sassy usually is the one who gets stuck with the last piece of chicken or the last choice of jelly beans in the bowl because she is the youngest and smallest member of the Sanford clan.

Filled with energy and opinion, Sassy more than lives up to her name.

A 'Who Am I' class project and a situation in which Sassy's diminutive stature saves the day underscore Draper's clever and careful consideration of external and internal qualities.

'Even I'm not sure what all's in there, but I know when I reach down into it, I always seem to find exactly what I need,' she says. Though she also grumbles about having to wear a drab uniform to school, Sassy does her best to look 'distinctive and unique' by wearing glittery fingernail polish and shimmering lip gloss-and by toting her 'Sassy Sack.' Made by her beloved Granny, this colorful bag holds everything from Life Savers to shoelaces, sunglasses to mittens. 'I'm pretty invisible around here,' complains fourth-grader Sassy, who is annoyed that her parents and older siblings insist on calling her 'Little Sister,' and that she's always last in the family pecking order. Publishers Weekly Review Two-time Coretta Scott King Award-winner Draper hits her middle-grade target in this cheerful yet reflective novel about feeling appreciated and finding one's place.

Little Sister Is Not My Name! by Sharon M. Draper