Operation Sisterhood Audio Review

It has always been Bo and her mom until her mom meets. Bill. Bo’s world completely changes when they move into Bill's multifamily household. There is the twins Lili and boy and their parents, Bill and his daughter Sunday. Sisters… Bo’s will have to adjust to a busy household and all their animals.

“Bill was clearly becoming essential to Mum, and Bo was used to being ‘all I need to get by,’ as Mum would sing when they baked together.”

I love learning about other cultures in books and Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich depicts city life in Harlem and building community as a young girl trying to adjust to big life changes in a delightful way. The relationship that forms between Sunday, the twins, and Bo is heartwarming. There are struggles along the way but the girls learn how to live together in a tight space while still maintaining their unique personalities. At times the book felt like there was a lot going on at once but I feel like that mirrors what Bo’s was going though at the moment. It would be overwhelming. Bo was learning to navigate a new life while trying to maintain who she is.

Kristen Ariza as the narrator did an amazing job voicing each character. I loved the twins because of her narration.

I received as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children's for the ARC

I am convinced the e-galley I have must have been thrown together from a mixed up file (pun not intended but it works!). That's the only way to explain why there were multiple places in this novel where a chapter would start talking about a thing as if it was new or hadn't happened yet when it had already been happening for weeks in the previous chapter. I constantly felt like I had no idea what was going on.

Anyway, I can see and appreciate all the references to beloved family and club stories, like All-of-a-Kind Family and The Baby-sitters Club and the Vanderbeekers, and I also love all the shoutouts to contemporary authors of color who are Gbemi's friends (and mine!), and I love all the references to NYC Black history, but it did feel like a whole lot was trying to be packed into this book with all of that PLUS dealing with Bo's whole "don't touch my stuff/my stuff is my stuff/how could I ever get rid of stuff" thing and the mean neighbor auntie and the community garden and the bookstore struggling and and and. Like the number of Things in this book could easily have filled an eight-book series instead of one volume.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to the advanced copy of this book to read.

Cute little fast-pasted middle-grade read that is perfect for fans looking for books reminiscent of Baby Sitter's Club vibes. Highly recommend.

A beautiful story about blended families told with humor and tenderness. Set in NYC, Bo has a lot of adjusting when she and her mum move in with her mum's boyfriend, his daughter, twins Lil and Lee, and their parents. This story is a fun, heartfelt celebration of the diversity within the Black community,

Seriously so fun! I love this group of girls and would love to see this as a series! Perhaps a liiiiiitle long for the target market.

This was a really sweet story about a girl finding her place and adapting to changes in a new blended family and living in a multi-family household. Bo was a great protagonist and I particularly enjoyed watching her relationship with Sunday, her new sister, evolve throughout the book. I liked that each sister had her own interests and they found a way to let each one's interests shine through in their "group projects." I absolutely loved the amount of love, support and encouragement shared within this wonderful family. I wish that some of the characters would have been developed a bit more, particularly Bo's mum. At times, there was a lot going on and it was difficult to keep up with everything. However, this was a great feel-good story that I would recommend to readers that enjoy realistic fiction about (large) families.

Hello Again!

I have another big batch of reviews to share with you! I have been reading a lot lately, (I think my total in January was 10 books completed, and with a bit over a week to go in February I have read 5 so far, with a 6th almost done)! There are just so many titles I want to pick up either that are coming out or that are back-listed! In the last year or so, I have taken to reading a book on my phone, when at doctor’s appts, in the car, etc… My latest phone read was Operation Sisterhood! I was able to read this book a little early as an E-ARC through Netgalley, so a massive thank you to the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions! So without further ado, let’s jump in!

SPOILERS AHEAD

Bo’s life is changing in big ways. Bo and her mom live in a small NYC apartment. Bo spends a lot of her time baking and babysitting (or hanging out) with the kid down the hall Dougie. That is until her mom starts seriously dating someone. Now things are changing because they want to move in together and get married. Bo really loves her apartment, baking, her time with her mom, and her life, but maybe moving to the Brownstone and having a sister will not be so bad? However, when Bo moves to the brownstone things are much different, she doesn’t just get a sister and step-dad, there is another family that lives in the brownstone with them and they have two kids! Also, there are lots and lots of pets. All of this is a lot for Bo to take in, but she is really going to try her best!

This was a really fun story. I loved Bo and her family. Each character was super unique and brought their own special dynamic to the story! I loved seeing the family come together at different times throughout the book. I believe this book came out in January, so if you are interested, definitely check it out!

Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars

**A massive thank you to the publisher for the E-ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

We don't get a lot of non-traditional families in books. And I don't mean simple blended families. We get those all the time. We're talking about multiple parents living in a house together and sharing responsibilities. They all take care of the kids, take turns cooking, pay the bills, all that adult stuff. So not only do we have Bo trying to figure out being a part of a larger family, we have the whole family working at being a part of the community. All of these characters are trying to find the balance between staying true to themselves yet accepted by the people around them. The conflicts are believable and the characters complex. Well worth the time.

This is the story of Bo whose mother marries, and she moves into a brownstone in Harlem with three sisters. This story is ostensibly her journey to understanding her new family and he space in it. While I enjoyed the idea, the execution was a bit of a mess for me. I read a good bit of middle grade books and recently read a really good one that just made this one pale in comparison. The plot jumped around and the end was rather abrupt. The relationships with other girls outside the family was antagonistic, and I wish some of that had been resolved. The characters seemed as much defined by their interests as their personalities. The parents besides Bo’s mum are also very one-dimensional. Finally, while not a complain per-se, the timing of this books seems very off to me. Jeresulema as a song is mentioned so that makes it late 2020 summer at the latest since it is the last day of school when the books started. However, the is no mention of COVID mind one comment that “the virus” hit one area hard economically. I think that makes this a post-COVID future that we have not made it to yet, which just seemed odd. Furthermore, New York was hit very hard in the first wave so if this was only just post-pandemic it should have had a much bigger impact on the kids and their life. I think the author didn’t want to deal with it but also wanted song references to be current, so this ended with a bit of hand-waving on the whole world still has COVID issues.

I loved this beautiful story of a "patchwork family!" When Bo and her mom move in with mom's boyfriend Bill and his daughter Sunday, plus the Twins Lil and Lee, and their parents, Bo must do a lot of adjusting as she learns to share a room, share her mom, and open her heart to three lively new sisters, a houseful of pets, extra parents, and a new neighborhood. Full of Black Joy and a celebration of the diversity within the Black community, this is a fun and heartfelt story that I can't wait to add to my library! I also loved the "tours" of NYC through the eyes of four young Black girls as they learn about their heritage and their home.
A wonderful book for readers who love The Vanderbeekers, The Penderwicks, Little Women, and The Babysitters Club!
Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC. This is my honest review.

Amazing! Personally. I didn't read this myself, but I'd gotten the ARC to read along with my younger sister. She's 9, almost 10, and LOVES IT!!

While she noted that 3rd person wasn't the BEST choice of writing for this, it was still entertaining and fun to read.

So happy that this is being published, as this should DEFINETLY be a class book for at least a 4th grade class, maybe even higher, on topics based on friendship.

Thank you to Crown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the eARC to read and review!

"Operation Sisterhood" radiates the joy that can be found between sisters, in family, and in a community. It’s the kind of story I wish I had growing up.

The story takes place primarily in Harlem and the surrounding area. Bo is having a difficult time adjusting to her new family, living situation, and freeschooling without putting a damper on her mother’s happiness about their new life. She worries all these changes will cause her to lose her individuality.

It was interesting following the day-to-day of this new lifestyle Bo is now living in. It’s a warm, loving environment conducive to learning, responsibility, teamwork, self-reflection, and exploration. I love that they live with so many animals too, especially a bearded dragon who seems to enjoy wearing hats.

I love the sisterhood between Bo, Sunday, Lili and Lee. Each sister has a distinct personality and a passion. Bo is a drummer, super organized, and loves to cook. Sunday (Bo’s stepsister) loves to write, is quirky, and plays the keyboard. She tries so hard (sometimes too hard) to make Bo feel welcomed and a part of the family. I forget which twin (Lili and Lee) liked what but one is a huge animal lover while the other is a fashion designer. They also play an instrument (guitar and bass).

These new sisters are expressive, big-hearted, outgoing and enthusiastic. It was great seeing how they worked together to solve problems, make their parents happy, bring the community together, and support one another.

"Operation Sisterhood" was a good story with a vibrant cast of characters that I think readers will greatly enjoy. I also adore the cover art - I think it sums up the story perfectly.

I really enjoyed Operation Sisterhood and the charming story is shared. Main character Bo is both likeable and relatable - in the story, her mom marries and Bo finds herself not only adapting to a new neighborhood, but a whole new family that includes three other girls her age. The book takes the reader on a vibrant journey in New York full of new experiences and shares all the greatness city life offers. Bo struggles with adjusting to a new family, free-schooling, sharing space with others, and figuring out where she fits in while the family works through challenges around owning your own business and being your own unique self.

There is A LOT happening in the story and I sometimes felt a little lost on the fun chaos of the plot but that didn't really detract from the experience. Keeping track of the cast of characters could be tricky and I'd love to see more development of some of those other felt on the periphery should the author write a sequel (the parents, Marcus, Django, Ms. Tyler, Auntie Sunflower).

Overall, a really fun read with an excellent sprinkling of Black Girl Magic.

This is a high energy book where the personalities of the girls definitely take center stage as they discover what it means to be friends and sisters, I had some difficulty following who was speaking at any give moment because of their exuberance. I thought there would be more about the whole family dynamics, such as those between mom and daughter, but it stays firmly focused on the connections between sisters. I like the way a coparenting family and unschooling are portrayed here, as they have historically been limited to white suburban families in Children’s literature if represented at all.

Bo (short for Tokunbo - a name which always makes her feel like royalty) is Nigerian, and for the longest time, her life has consisted simply of her mom, her, and cozy days filled with cooking/baking. Even Mum's boyfriend, Bill, isn't so bad - until he starts to bring along his own daughter, Sunny, who just so happens to be Bo's age, and that's when the troubles start. Sunny is just so... happy, and it's starting to grate on Bo's nerves. Not to mention, all the new changes that are taking place, like Mum spending less and less time with Bo, and their both spending more time getting to know Bill, Sunny, and their whole wacky family. Bo is positive that she'll hate it (she hates change of all sorts anyways), but as she grows accustomed, she starts to wonder if change isn't such a bad thing after all.

Operation Sisterhood was a heartwarmingly beautiful book, threaded with food, music, and sisterly misadventures all set against the backdrop of Nigerian and Black culture in New York. This book somehow made everything seem so realistic, like explaining change can be fun, but its also plenty hard as well as highlighting microagressions against the African-American community without blowing it out of proportion. In addition, it indirectly talks about the difficulties of fitting in - and then standing out.

The only thing I would suggest is that I wish the author explained who "Mama Lola" was from the beginning because it left me wondering for a long while who that was until I reached the 90% mark. Overall, however, it is a wholesome and highly recommended book.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Olugbemisola Rhuday=Perkovich, and the publisher for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The story begins with Bo and her mother who are like two peas in a pod. Bo doesn't mind her mom's boyfriend BIll and his corny jokes until they move in with him, his daughter Sunday, and the family that shares the house with them. That family has twin girls, Lilli and Lee. "Operation SIsterhood" is full of animals. music, and fun!
Things I liked: The large family that had their own issues at times, but worked it out in positive ways. I also lived the diverse cast of characters!
Things I thought could be improved: There are lots of characters in the story in many locations and it was hard at times to keep track of what was going on.

Another good book about blending families and the positive that can be without denying the trials and tribulations. I enjoyed Bo and her new family which is pretty wacky. I wish her mom had noticed more that Bo needed some one on one with her but that would have ruined the story.

Operation Sisterhood, by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, follows Bo, whose mother has just remarried, leading to the pair of them moving in with their new family. They now live in a Brooklyn brownstone with a "patchwork family," including Bill (Bo's mother's new husband), his daughter, Sunday, a pair of twins named Lil and Lee, and their parents, so there are four parents coparenting four girls. The four are all homeschooled (which they call "freeschooling," a method of teaching driven almost entirely by the students), and the book primarily centers around Bo learning to adapt to this new family.

Bo is a fairly likable protagonist. She's very pragmatic and organized. She plays the drums and loves baking, the latter of which is something that she's always shared with her mother. Since it has always been just the two of them, she has a hard time adjusting to her new family, and especially to her new sister Sunday, who has a very different personality. I enjoyed reading about her character development over the course of the story, though I do wish she'd been given more of a personality outside of her disliking change.

The other characters were all enjoyable too. Sunday, Lil, and Lee all were relatively distinct, though they definitely tended to blend together sometimes; the only thing that was notably different about them were their different interests. I understand that introducing three new similarly aged girls at the same time makes it difficult to add much distinction, but I think a little more variance would definitely have allowed for more connection with each of them.

Similarly, Bo's mom is the only one of the adults who gets any sort of personality, and even then she isn't developed much; Bill doesn't do much, and the other parents are barely even present. Considering that the parents should be a pretty large aspect of Bo adapting to her new family, they definitely ought to have been mentioned more; I understand that the book is primarily about sisterhood, but there was definitely room for some discussion of parenthood as well.

I think that Bo's relationships with Sunday and with her mom are definitely the most interesting parts of the book; I just personally don't think that they are emphasized enough. Bo spends the entire book feeling sidelined by her mother and like there's no time for her in her mother's life any more, and that entire plot line never feels like it's addressed sufficiently; there's a short scene dedicated to it, but, considering that it's the main point of tension in Bo's character arc, it definitely deserved more time dedicated to it. Likewise, her growing resentment of Sunday is just kind of magically fixed without them ever actually seeming to work through it beyond one short scene. These are both very interesting character arcs and relationships, and, as the main driving forces behind Bo's story, definitely deserve more attention than they are given in the book.

I did really enjoy the New York City setting. There's a lot of discussion of different parts of Bo's new and old neighborhoods, and the author definitely does a great job of fleshing out the background characters so that it actually feels like reading about a community. That aspect of the book is definitely immersive, and I think one of its strongest aspects.

It's honestly just such a fun and comforting book; it isn't stressful, and it's primarily just about Bo getting used to a new life and new family members. What sources of stress that are there aren't overwhelming or overly urgent; while Bo definitely has a hard time at some points, it never feels overwhelming to the reader.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. I do always love reading books about familial relationships, particularly about learning how to fit into new families, and Operation Sisterhood definitely fit that box. Even though there isn't too much character depth, it's nevertheless a fun story of adapting to new surroundings that is perfect for anybody who is themselves scared of change. I would recommend it to anybody who loves reading about sisterhood, community, found family, or learning to live with change.

This is a such a charming story. The characters are relatable and well-rounded. The dialogue really adds to the story and helps us, as readers, get to know and love these characters. It can be tough merging families, and I believe this story will prove very relatable to many of my students. I'm excited to add Operation Sisterhood to my classroom library.