Operation Sisterhood by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich is a charming story about sisterhood and family.
Eleven-year-old Nigerian American Bo Marshall, short for Tokunbo, lives with her Mum, Lola. Life is great, even in a tiny one-bedroom New York City apartment. Mother and daughter do everything together, and Bo particularly enjoys baking, cooking and taking trips to the West African market. But everything changes when Mum gets engaged to her boyfriend, Bill, and she and Bo move from their apartment in the Bronx to his large Harlem brownstone inhabited by a rather eclectic collection of family members. There's Bill's daughter, Sunday; Mama Hope and Papa Charles and their twin girls, Lil and Lee; and an ever-growing number of pets (two cats, a dog, a bearded dragon, a turtle and a coop full of hens). In the blink of an eye, Bo's family quadruples and she wonders how to adjust. The perfect opportunity to collaborate with her new sisters arises with "Operation Wedding Reception Party," a proposed block party, potluck and talent show to celebrate Lola and Bill. To help make the party a success, Bo will have to learn how to be a sister and team player while bringing her own special abilities to the task.
Broken up into short chapters, this middle-grade novel touches topics such as sisterhood, individuality, loyalty and family, both the ones you're born into and the ones that you create. Rhuday-Perkovich (Two Naomis) tells the story through the eyes of an endearing tween trying to find her place in a new and chaotic blended family. --Natasha Harris, freelance reviewer