Sybil at Sixteen

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Book Overview

Sybil's sixteenth birthday brings the Sebastian family together again--a reunion that initiates a series of crises and confrontations between the four sisters and their parents that have far-reaching consequences.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553286145
• ISBN13: 9780553286144
• Release Date: October 1990
• Publisher: Starfire
• Length: 183 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Strongest book in the series

I remember reading the Sebastian Sisters series when I was younger and was thrilled to find a copy of Sybil at Sixteen, my favorite from the series, at a used bookstore. The quintet follows the four Sebastian sisters (Evvie, Thea, Claire, and Sybil) as they turn sixteen and what happens to them during that special year. The last book is actually about Meg, their mother, as she remembers meeting her husband, Nick. Sybil at Sixteen follows the youngest Sebastian as she turns sixteen. The family is scattered everywhere, as the older siblings are either working or are in college, but they all gather to celebrate Sybil's birthday. The remaining Sebastians (Sybil and her parents, "Megs" and "Nicky" - for some reason the children never call them mom and dad) are now living in Boston in the home willed to Megs by her late aunt and guardian, Grace. Sybil can now walk, after constant medical and physical therapy treatment, despite the accident that robbed her of her mobility and changed the family finances forever. Sybil feels at home in Boston, but the secure feeling can't last, as the family is struggling with debt and Nicky is making plans to move them to Pennyslvania. Secrets abound in the Sebastian family, most of them revolving around Nicky, his past, and what he does to keep the family afloat financially. But this time, Evvie has her own secret to reveal - her fiance Sam is going to meet his sick mother, missing for 20-some years, to help her with a transplant. His mother has been missing for good reason - she's a wanted criminal. There's a substantial award out for her capture. Sybil faces a crisis of loyalty - to her sister, or to the father whom she loves more than anything and who has sacrificed so much to help her walk again. In making her decision, she sets off a chain of events that has far-reaching effects on the Sebastian family. The Sebastian Sisters series can be rather melodramatic (there's always some secret or crisis being uncovered), but Sybil at Sixteen is a good read. Of all the books, this one stands out to me the most. Evvie's story was good, Thea's and Claire's were so-so, and Meg's was sweet. But Sybil is probably the character most readers will be able to relate to. Evvie, the eldest, can be a little too perfect. Thea I found wishy-washy, and Claire a little too conniving and manipulative. But Sybil is driven by universal desires - wanting to feel secure, wanting to protect those she loves. Motivated by a false sense of guilt (since the accident that happened to her changed the family so much), she works on "making things up" or "paying her debts." What she comes to realize in the end is that family owes no debts to each other. A quick read, but a good one. The Sebastian family soap opera just draws you in.