The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June

The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June by Robin Benway, Razorbill, 2010, 281 pp, ISBN:159514286X

Picture this: Your parents just got a divorce, you're moving to a new city, and your sister may or may not be developing a drinking problem. What else could possibly happen? Well, guess what. You now have the ability to see the future. 

This is April's life. The oldest sister of May and June, April has always been overprotective. But now that she can see their futures - and specifically a future that involves lots of sirens and flashing red lights - May and June are in for a whole new level of "older sister syndrome." Plus, did I mention that June can read minds and May has a habit of going invisible?

Initially, I wasn't sure that I would really get into The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June. I mean, three sisters with super powers? But I was immediately oh-so-pleasantly surprised!


Robin Benway's voice is absolutely fabulous. She had me literally laughing out loud, trying not to snort my drink up my nose. All three sisters were individuals, but each voice was spot-on, from the slightly annoying, intellectual older sister; to the poofy-pink-skirted, peace-seeking younger sister; to the superbly sarcastic (and creative with profanity) middle sister, I loved them all!


There were several different love interests throughout the story, and while there was never any doubt about who would end up with who, I appreciated that there were no head-over-heels, super unrealistic love montages. Super powers aside, the whole thing was really pretty realistic. PS: Did Julian remind anyone else of Cabe from the Wake trilogy?

There were some serious themes in this book like divorce and abandonement, but the overall message was that family can conquer anything. I love this quote from Henry:

"It's just how it is sometimes. Things hurt, and they hurt for a long time. You have to fight back, or it wins."

All three sisters are fabulous fighters; maybe that's why I fell in love with their story. I'm sure of one thing: I will be recommending The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June to all of my middle school readers! With this combination of hilariously snarky comments, super powers, and sisterhood... how can you go wrong?

PS: Did you know May tweets? So do April and June, but May is my favorite :)