Where Triplets Go, Trouble Follows

April 20, 2015
"Violet, Lily, and Daisy Divine were triplets, but they weren't identical looking. They weren't identical thinking, either." In a series of episodes set over nine chapters, the elementary schoolâaged siblings spend time with their maternal grandmother and paternal grandfather (and mistakenly suspect that a romance is brewing between them), struggle with science and sports, and receive a new pet puppy they name Trouble. The narration can be old-fashioned ("All the adults began laughing. But this was no laughing matter to the triplets") and the dialogue on the sitcom-y side, but the Divines are a family worth getting to know. Jamieson's b&w spot illustrations add to the quiet comedy of this domestic drama. Ages 7â11. Illustrator's agent: Paul Rodeen, Rodeen Literary Management.

March 1, 2015
The Divine triplets, Lily, Daisy, and Violet, are alike in some ways and different in others, but they agree about their troublesome new puppy.This chapter book introduces the three girls: Lily, who loves to read and dares to write and recite a poem; Daisy, who loves baseball and plays even better after she gets glasses; and drama queen Violet, who makes up for her science failures with a project about the ways the three of them take after different members of their family. And then there's Grandpa Dash and Grandma Rose. The girls' habit of jumping to conclusions leads them to assume that their dad's father and mother's mother are getting married, but the big announcement turns out to be the gift of a new dog. The third-person narrative is dialogue-heavy, with amusing, age-appropriate wordplay: Violet calls a science fair project about electricity a "shocker" and uses words like "ridonculous" and "matchy-matchy." There's no sense of place and no clear indication of the girls' age; this is an episodic story of people and relationships. In the end, these characters don't come alive, and readers may find it difficult to distinguish them-just as sometimes happens to triplets in real life. Grayscale illustrations help (final art not seen). An appealing idea for a chapter book but undistinguished in execution. (Fiction. 7-9)

April 1, 2015

Gr 2-5-Daisy, Lily, and Violet may be triplets, but the girls don't look alike and certainly don't have the same interests. They are, however, always caring and loyal. They cheer for Daisy at her baseball game, support Violet's science fair project, and encourage Lily when she has to recite her poem. Two of their favorite people are their Grandma Rose, their mother's mother, and Grandpa Dash, their father's father. The girls mistake the grandparents' camaraderie for something more, and end up with a big surprise. Jamieson's illustrations enliven the text. VERDICT An enjoyable story, but an additional purchase.-Laura Fields Eason, Parker Bennett Curry Elementary School, Bowling Green, KY

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2015
Grades 1-4 Lily, Daisy, and Violet Divine are a set of rambunctious, school-aged triplets whose only similarity is their blue eyes and adoration of Troublethe puppy their grandparents surprise them with one day. Lily loves reading and writing, especially poetry, while Daisy is an avid baseball player, and Violet is a drama queen with a tendency to misplace her belongings. Each chapter in this gentle slice-of-life story focuses on a challenge faced by each sister in turn and is linked by their shared sense of devotion to and support of one another. Weak in science, Violet decides to enter the science fair for extra credit and explores the family traits that each of them inherited; Daisy learns that her baseball game improves considerably after she gets glasses; and Lily is inspired to enter a poetry contest, even though it means reciting in front of an audience. Black-and-white illustrations complement this sweet, if somewhat generic, story.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)