Amy Meets Her Stepsister

The Critter Club #5

by Callie Barkley, Marsha Riti (Illustrator)

Amy is excited to meet her new stepsister Chloe…but it turns out Chloe doesn’t feel the same way! Can Amy and Chloe get along?Amy’s mom and dad have been divorced for as long as Amy can remember, but nothing prepares Amy for the news she gets on a weekend visit to her dad’s house in Orange Amy’s dad is remarrying! In addition to getting a stepmother, Amy will also be getting a stepsister her age named Chloe. As the girls spend more time together, Amy realizes that Chloe isn’t as nice as she appears to be in front of the grown-ups. Chloe plays pranks on Amy and is just downright mean to her. Amy worries that she’ll be stuck with this stinky stepsister for life. Will she and Chloe ever be friends? With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, The Critter Club chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.

Genres: Animals, Childrens, Chapter Books, Fiction, 2nd Grade, Realistic Fiction, Juvenile

109 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2013

Reviews

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I love the writing style in these books and the flow is great. However, this one was not my favorite. Amy's dad is getting married to a woman who has a daughter named Chloe that is the same age as Amy. She's really nervous to meet Chloe because she's afraid she won't like her and then sure enough, Chloe is TERRIBLE. In the end, Amy saves Chloe when she's scared of a dog and the girls become friends. Chloe says everything was misunderstandings because SHE was nervous and acting differently, but some of the things she did could not be explained away as easy as she tried to. Some of the stuff she did was objectively mean. I feel like there was a lost opportunity for lesson learning here.

[Carina Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for kids very cool too.

[Carina · Rating 4 out of 5]

These Critter Club books are a great introduction to chapter books. My mom reads them to me because I’m only five years old. These are fast reads, with 10 quick chapters. It’s my job to read the number that is in the heart at the top of each new chapter.

In this one, Amy visits her Dad for the weekend and finds out that he is getting married. The woman he is going to marry has a daughter, too, and she’s also coming this weekend. At first, Amy and her soon-to-be stepsister Chloe don’t get along. Wet cookies, a goofy outfit, too much cinnamon, and falling books has Amy doubting herself. It takes a Dalmatian interrupting the new family’s picnic for Amy and Chloe to see that they aren’t that different.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Critter Club is a short chapter book series for young readers. The chapters are short with lots of illustrations to support new readers. In this episode, Amy learns that her father is getting married and that his betrothed has a girl her age. When they first meet Amy is bothered by how much Chloe seems to be acting horribly. Though the book explains it off as nervous behavior and Amy seems to accept this excuse, it takes me a bit to warm up to this new character. I hope to be able to talk to my students a bit about how characters can be frustrating, but if it is a series we like we should try to understand the intent of the author. Anxiety certainly does not always bring out the best in people and that is a reality that is worth learning.

I am happy to have found the series The Critter Club by Callie Barkley illustrated by Marsha Riti. The credit goes to a local Indie Bookstore called The Book Beat in Oak Park, MI.

[Natalina Bel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because her stepmother's name is Julie, just like my brother's future wife. Her stepsister is really mean because she was scared that Amy wouldn't like her , but Amy thought that her stepsister wouldn't like her. They were confused because she thought she was the only one scared to meet someone, and then she figures out that her stepsister is really just shy.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Appropriate for: all ages!
My 4 year old daughter loves critter club. This one had an important message about how people might act mean, but something deeper is going on. It mostly went over my daughter's head, especially the talk about divorce, but she still liked it. There was some animal stuff, but I wish there was more Critter Club stuff!

[Boyles Kids Book Tracker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amy's dad is getting married and that means Amy will get a stepsister named Chloe. at first Amy think Chloe doesn't like her and is being mean. but it turns out Chloe was just nervous. they end up becoming friends after Amy saves a scared Chloe from a barky dalmatian named Penny.

[Grace Whitener · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like that they gave Penny, the dog from the Critter Club, got adopted.

[Lydia Darais · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is to short.

[Linn J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inte lätt att skaffa styvsyskon men jag hade nog inte förlåtit Chloe så lätt.. Förlåt.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter loved it !

[Katt Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amy's father is getting married, so that means meeting a brand new someday sister. Only the meeting doesn't seem to be going very well.

Thoughtfully handled with a great deal of sensitivity, this is a good book for kids who are going through similar situations. My complaint is that the turnaround on attitude happens way too quickly, which might lead the reader to think that these kinds of things are supposed to be a whole lot easier than they are. I would definitely remind the child reading this book that these kinds of things take a lot of time sometimes, and to not feel bad if they can't be all resolved in the course of a single weekend like they show in this book. Otherwise, a decent story (though never enough critters for a series that's supposed to be about animals...)

[Nicole Wrightson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute book based on never judge a person before you really get to know them. Also sometimes something you mean one way can come off another. This is a good book for anyone whose parent is getting remarried and they will be having a step sibling.