“Stella,” called Sam. “Stella! Where are you?”
“Here,” whispered Stella.
“Where?” said Sam. “I can’t see you.”
“That’s because I’m practicing to be invisible,” said Stella.
From Stella, Fairy of the Forest by Mary-Louise Gay
As the proud, big sister of my not-so-little brother, I can admit the big sister breed can be a little (read: OUTRAGEOUSLY) bossy. But it’s hard not to be when we know best, which, of course, we always do.
But big sisters aren’t all bad. We take our little brothers to the forest to look for fairies. We invite them to run away with us to live at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And when they’re held captive by the evil It on the planet Camazotz, we rescue them.
This list is dedicated to all the amazing big sisters, their equally amazing little brothers and all their amazing adventures together.
PICTURE BOOKS:
Tell Me A Mitzi
by Lore Segal
illustrated by Harriet Pincus
Three interwoven stories, part reality and part fantasy, all entertaining and relatable, about a plucky girl named Mitzi and her younger brother Jacob.
The Maggi B.
by Irene Haas
A gorgeously illustrated fantasy about a girl’s dream of living on a boat taking care of her baby brother.
Stella, Fairy of the Forest
by Marie-Louise Gay
A funny romp through the forest looking for fairies with Stella and her little brother Sam. If you like this one, check out other books in the series.
MIDDLE GRADE:
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
by E.L. Konigsburg
Newbery Medal winner about the adventures of Claudia Kincaid and her brother Jamie who run away from home to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and solve the mystery surrounding a new statue on exhibit there.
A Wrinkle in Time
by Madeleine L’Engle
The now classic, science fantasy Newbery Medal winner that tells the story of Meg Murray and her brother Charles Wallace's journey through time and space to rescue their father, a government scientist who has disappeared. (Book 1 of the Time Quintet series.)
YOUNG ADULT:
Anybody know a great big sister/little brother YA?
Till I find one, here’s an amazing, twin brother/sister YA to tide you over:
I’ll Give You The Sun
by Jandy Nelson
This mind-blowingly, beautiful book tells the story of teen twin brother and sister, Noah and Jude, in the wake of their mother’s death. It is one of those rare, perfect novels that is about everything: family, love, growing up, death, art, forgiveness. Despite tackling such huge, potentially depressing subjects, the story is uplifting and, at times, incredibly funny.