Out of Order

By Betty Hicks

Book Overview

One million American children become part of blended family every year. What happens to stepsiblings when the oldest child suddenly becomes the middle child, and the youngest even younger? Out of Order delivers four electric points of view from stepsiblings, ages nine to fifteen, in a super-unsettled, scrambled-up family. An unforgettable Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament, plus 120 hazardous bug snacks, equals humor, insight, and serious indigestion. Betty Hicks gives us her most entertaining and complex novel yet.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1596430613
• ISBN13: 9781596430617
• Release Date: September 2005
• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.7" x 5.7"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Many people can relate to this book

I think that many people could relate to this book, including me. All the characters were different, which I thought made the story more interesting. Betty Hicks did a good job tieing in all of the characters into one story plot.

"If you're the youngest, can you get even younger?"

For years, Lily was the oldest in her family; then, as soon as her mom married Frank and their two families blended together, Lily became a middle child. "Out of Order" looks at what it means to suddenly have a whole new family and a new place in the birth order. In this book, 4 kids, ages 9 to 15, have to learn how to adjust in order to get along and still keep their personalities (and their sanity!). The chapters alternate the point of view of the kids, so readers have a lot more insight into motivations and history than the characters themselves. This is a fun, fairly realistic portrait of a common situation in many families today. A quick read (chapters are very short) for grades 4-6.