In Rumor Has It, the irresistible, fast-paced first title in the Luckies series by Sarah Mlynowski (Whatever After series) and three-time Newbery Honor recipient Christina Soontornvat (A Wish in the Dark), two stepsisters-to-be navigate their brand-new lives together.
When her freshly blended family of seven moves to Lost Bluff, Tenn., 15-year-old Leela longs for her life back in Brooklyn. She is appalled at having to live with "four random people" she barely knows, including boys who make fart jokes and Annie, who seems excessively perky. But Annie, also 15, is thrilled at the chance for stability and real friendships after years of frequent moves. When Leela schemes to convince her mom that "this whole Lost Bluff idea" isn't working so they can return to New York, she does not consider how much damage her sabotage might cause.
The lively Luckies, designed to appeal to middle-grade readers who are used to inhaling visual and digital content, is Mlynowski and Soontornvat's first series collaboration after co-writing Time After Time, the third volume in the Best Wishes series. Rumor Has It opens with six dynamic full-color illustrations by Madi Wong (You Did It!) that introduce each family member (including pets) and set the stage for small-town drama. The rest of the novel is peppered with similarly high-spirited and inviting illustrations in black-and-white. A cliff-hanger ending ensures readers will want to keep returning to this fun series. --Emilie Coulter, freelance writer and editor