Peas In A Pod by Adele Geras and Peter Bailey (Children's, 5 years +, 10E/10E)

February 2014, Corgi, 80 pages, Paperback, Review copy

Themes: wedding celebration, wedding clothes, wedding venue, bridesmaids, page boys, wedding attendants, having expectations, disappointment, middle ground

 

Content: Some laughs, a few temper tantrums.

Summary from Random House Children's Publishers

'I bet Stella asks us to be her bridesmaids. We'll have really beautiful clothes to wear . . .'

Stella-across-the-road is getting married - with a wonderful, romantic wedding. It's a dream come true for Jo, who is sure she and her sister Lily will be Stella's bridesmaids. But although the two girls look just like each other - like two peas in a pod - they are very different. Lily hates silly, frilly dresses and doesn't want to be a bridesmaid. Can both sisters find a way to enjoy the wedding?

Nayuleska's thoughts

From both the cover and the blurb I thought Lily and Jo are twins, but they aren't. This fact annoys Jo who is a Tom boy and hates being the same, which is why she dreaded Stella's wedding which Lily was convinced they would be bridesmaids. Poor Lily. She had got carried away with her own self-importance and doesn't become a bridesmaid. I promise the end result has both sisters happy, which was a very clever plot twist considering how different they are. I laughed away at the pair of them having a tantrum and being miserable at different times. 

The colour illustrations make the story a vivid one, especially with the dog chasing it's own tail which is precisely what my cat does on a frequent basis! Readers don't have to have been to a wedding to understand the hustle and bustle of the big day - family events and school events both need and have organisation as well as an element of chaos with mishaps that benefit Jo and Lily.

Find out more on Adele's website and Peter's website.

Suggested read

For older readers check out this wedding read Me, Suzy P by Karen Saunders (Children's, 11 years +, 8/10E)