Review: The Extraordinary Secret Lives of April, May and June by Robin Benway

Good Reads Summary


April, the oldest, can see the future. May, the middle sister, can disappear. And June, the youngest, can read minds. At the time of their parents' divorce, the three sisters recover these strange and magical powers from their childhood, powers that help them cope with the hardest year of their lives. When April gets a vision of disaster, the girls must come together to save the day-and their family. But in the process they learn that there's one thing stronger than magic: sisterhood.


Review


Having siblings is probably one of those love hate things when you're growing up because you love your family but you just hate having to be around them.  Espicallly when you're sisters and all around the same age.  So when April, May and June discover that they have "superpowers" not only does it bring them together as sisters in a good way but it also drives them potty at the same time.  What teenager wants their younger sister to hear what you're thinking about the guy sitting next to you and what big sister wants visions of her baby sister getting drunk at house parties.  Plus being the ignored middle child that can be literally invisible sounds good when you need space but it can be awful as May proves.  


The Extraordinary Secret Lives of April, May and June was both funny and bags of fun.  I loved the balance of the average teen problems that were blended with the super hero stuff and how the two can cross over.  It's a fine balance between being a teenage girl and wanting some normality and being a teenage girl with superhuman powers and trying the be normal so no one can guess your secrets.  Cleverly written and sprinkled with a dash of pop culture references (Judge Judy and America's Next Top Model are so good I must say) is what makes this book the joy it is to read.  It makes the super hero stuff sound like the least of their troubles when the girls have boy trouble, school work, high school drama and family to contend with.


Each chapter is from the point of view of one of the sisters so you can really get inside the mind of each girl.  Plus it reminds you that this is the story of 3 individual girls that all have a different perspective; something that the girls think no one else realises.  Being sisters so close in age means that they often get lumped into a certain category: the baby sister, the weird sister, the smart older sister.  It was a nice touch to see them as April, May and June and not "the sisters".  Everyone deserves their chance to be heard.  Plus it you kinda get a chance to feel like you're part of the family too and are one of the other sisters.  


I loved the characters and the story was both exciting and fun though sometimes i wished there was more superhero fun but that's probably my love of X-men and such so my brain immediately goes 'oh disappear and then go get some bad guys' rather than 'oh disappear and  steal the answers to the history quiz'.  Sparkling humour, sassy characters that make this family of surprising super heroes make you want to go crime fighting and then shopping or a movie.  


Rating: 8/10


Published by Razorbill and is available now from here