As long as we're together / Brianna Peppins.

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Title:

As long as we're together / Brianna Peppins.

Author:

Peppins, Brianna, author.

ISBN:

9781338814071

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

244 pages ; 20 cm

Abstract:

Sixteen-year-old Novah feels like her life has been put on hold, taking care of her four younger siblings while her older sister Ariana gets to play volleyball and hang out--but when their parents are killed in a car crash Ariana and Novah will have to learn to cooperate.

With six siblings, Novah is always busy overseeing dinner, baths, and homework-- tasks that fall to her when her parents are at work. She wouldn't mind, if her older sister, Ariana, wasn't always excused from helping out: their parents don't want anything to jeopardize the scholarships Ariana will need to become the first member of their family to attend college. Then a car accidents takes their parent's lives. With no adult relatives, Ariana manages to convince the judge to give her temporary custody. If she can keep her family running smoothly, they'll get to stay in their home. If not, they'll be placed into foster care. Novah and Ariana find themselves in a constant power struggle, even once it becomes clear they are all in over their heads. -- adapted from jacket

Reading Level:

Ages 12 and up. Scholastic Press.

Grades 10-12. Scholastic Press.

Subject Term:

African American teenagers -- Juvenile fiction.

African American families -- Juvenile fiction.

Sisters -- Juvenile fiction.

Siblings -- Juvenile fiction.

Sibling rivalry -- Juvenile fiction.

Orphans -- Juvenile fiction.

Bereavement -- Juvenile fiction.

African American teenagers -- Fiction.

African American families -- Fiction.

Sisters -- Fiction.

Siblings -- Fiction.

Sibling rivalry -- Fiction.

Orphans -- Fiction.

Grief -- Fiction.

Adolescents noirs américains -- Romans, nouvelles, etc. pour la jeunesse.

Familles noires américaines -- Romans, nouvelles, etc. pour la jeunesse.

Sœurs -- Romans, nouvelles, etc. pour la jeunesse.

Frères et sœurs -- Romans, nouvelles, etc. pour la jeunesse.

Rivalité fraternelle -- Romans, nouvelles, etc. pour la jeunesse.

Deuil -- Romans, nouvelles, etc. pour la jeunesse.

YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Family / General (see also headings under Social Themes)

YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Social Themes / Death, Grief, Bereavement.

African American families

African American teenagers

Genre:

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... Avon-Washington Township Public Library	Teen Fiction Book Hardback	120791003072373	T PEP	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

A heartstring-tugging, uplifting, modern spin on Party of Five -- a love letter to family, hope, and finding strength in unexpected places.

Even though she has six siblings, sixteen-year-old Novah still knows what it's like to feel lonely. Her friends never remember to invite her anywhere because they assume Novah will be too busy overseeing dinner, baths, and homework -- tasks that fall to her when her parents are at work. She wouldn't mind it so much if her "perfect" older sister, Ariana, wasn't always excused from helping out. She's the star of the volleyball team, and their parents don't want anything to jeopardize the scholarships she'll need to become the first member of their family to attend college.

Needless to say, Novah feels like she's been given a raw deal, especially when she's forced to cancel a maybe-date with her crush, Hailee.

Then one terrible night, their parents don't make it back home. A car accident takes their lives and leaves seven heartbroken kids on their own. The Wilkinson siblings have no grandparents, no aunts or uncles. Since Ariana has just turned eighteen, she manages to convince the judge to give her temporary custody. If she can keep her family running smoothly, they'll get to stay in their home. If not, they'll be placed into foster care.

Novah will do whatever it takes to keep her family together but finds herself in a constant power struggle when Ariana refuses to take her advice, even once it becomes clear that they are all in way over their heads. Will Novah find her voice and summon the strength to do the impossible? Or will she be forced to say the hardest goodbyes of all?

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Seven Black siblings try to find their new normal after the sudden deaths of their parents in this emotionally devastating novel by Peppins (Briarcliff Prep). Sixteen-year-old volleyball star Novah wants to focus on spending time with her friends and earning a sports scholarship, but her responsibilities multiply after her parents are killed in a car accident. To assume guardianship of her siblings and take over the family's pet grooming business, her older sister, Ari, forgoes college, and Novah, as second-eldest, is tasked with caring for the household. But keeping up with her siblings isn't easy; her oldest brother Zion is struggling through a breakup, and her youngest sister Bailey, who is autistic, has stopped speaking entirely. As Novah begins falling behind in school, and her siblings' personal issues threaten to overwhelm, she believes she has no choice but to abandon her dreams to fulfill her parents' "family first" wishes, especially when failure means risking separation. Via Novah and Ari's push-and-pull relationship, complicated by their status as the oldest siblings and de facto caretakers, Peppins crafts a compassionate and complex rendering of a family contending with grief amid myriad interpersonal conflicts that overflows with narrative tension and urgency. Ages 12--up. Agent: Jas Perry, KT Literary. (May)

Kirkus Review

As the middle child of seven, 16-year-old Novah Wilkinson feels overlooked. She is often left covering work shifts for her older siblings at their family's dog grooming, day care, and boarding business and helping take care of her younger siblings, which means no time for hanging out with her friends. But overnight the Wilkinsons' world turns upside down when Novah's parents are killed in a car accident. Oldest sibling Ariana is forced to turn down her volleyball scholarship to Howard University and becomes the siblings' legal guardian on a conditional basis: Ari has less than a year to prove to the judge that she is a capable guardian or the children will be split up. She has to keep the family business running, make sure everyone stays in school and out of trouble, and pass every visit with their caseworker. Novah and her family are Black, and Novah knows foster care is the worst possible scenario for them. Understanding there is too much for Ari to handle on her own, Novah is determined to help in every way she can to prevent their separation, even if that means overwhelming herself and struggling to hold on to parts of her adolescence--like pursuing a relationship with her crush, Hailee. Although this is a short, quick read, it packs an emotional punch. The exploration of the siblings' various mechanisms for coping with grief is especially poignant. An uplifting story about the power of family. (Fiction. 12-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.