"Are you moving to the room upstairs?
But it's for guests!
It's MY room now.
No visitors are allowed into this
maximum security prison, so
Mama has no reason to not let
me use the guest room until
quarantine ends.
Abby, come and -
GET OUT OF MY ROOM!"
In 1994 Indonesia, Abby is struggling with fairly typical issues with her middle grade friends. She is anxious that their reaction to her family chaos will affect how they see her. As the oldest sibling in a family of five children, Abby is often angry with the behaviors of her younger brothers and sisters. The family always seems to be in a state of disarray and mischief. When they are exposed to chickenpox after a visit with one of those school friends, life only gets worse.
As they must spend all of their time together, trying to deal with the many symptoms, Abby feels even more put upon to be the 'big sister' and help out. She makes an interesting transformation as the days pass; she learns to be more patient and a better role model for the littler ones, to count on them to help with issues that arise, and to be an even better friend that she was prior to the many events that fill her ten days of quarantine.
Ms. Lai's art is filled with feeling and humor as the seemingly endless days pass, challenging all to find an easier way to peace while together. She presents a strong setting, adding details that firmly place the story in a particular time period. Abby is funny, kind when she needs to be, often impulsive, and full of love for her family even when that does not seem to be the case. The artwork grabs attention at every turn. Readers who are older siblings will see themselves in similar situations.
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