Katya, a.k.a. Katie, and her sister Michaela Wilder are sisters and best friends that were born and raised in New York city. They study ballet and their best friends do the same. Katie is 14 and going to be a freshman in high school, Michaela is 17 and going to be a senior. Michaela is the great ballerina and the envy of her dancemates while Katie has to try very hard to be good at ballet.

Their mother is a college professor and their father is a writer. The parents decide to move the family to Fir Lake, New York for the mom to teach there. While Michaela takes the move in stride and embraces it, Katie fights it tooth and nail. She doesn't understand what Michaela sees in this small town and blames the move on the distance that grows in their relationship. As the story moves on, we find out why Michaela was so happy for the move from the big city to a small town and the effects of her secrecy on Katie.

There's too much that I liked about this book to put in a review. Katie's sarcasm is perfect and although only 14 her observations are those that both young and old can appreciate. This is a coming of age story that includes a younger sibling coming to realize she may just want to be something other than just like her sister. One of my favorite parts of the book is when Katie and Michaela visit their New York ballet instructor and friends over the holiday. They see the startling differences after only four months between themselves and their friends since the move. I thought this was a key part to have in the book as Katie comes to realize that Fir Lake may not be so bad after all. The only thing that didn't really connect the storyline for me was the Emmaline character but I guess she was necessary for Katie to realize a talent other than ballet.

Overall, this is a great read from Aimee Friedman that I highly recommend.

when i read this book ,somehow i felt that the story could go on a little further instead of ending it in an abrup halt. It was like it didn't have "substance". It left me a tad dissapointed because the town, Fir Lake, is a very interesting place and its inhabitants are interesting enough to maybe keep the story going.

Nuff said. :-)

Katya Wilder, better known as Katie, is tired of being the last one in her family to know everything. So when she finally finds out that she has to move from New York City to some little town neat Canada called Fir Lake, it's natural that she freaks out. After all, she has to leave behind the only place she's ever called home, the prestigious Anna Pavlova dancing school, and all her dancing friends.

Katie refuses to accept the new town that she lives in and all the people who live there. Her sister Michaela, by contrast, seems to fit right in. She's accepted at the popular table, and with all her new friends, it seems as if she doesn't have time for Katie anymore. But what hurts Katie most of all is that her sister used to be so close to her, and now Michaela doesn't tell her anything.

It's this hurt that influences Katie to grow apart from her sister. But some good things do result from this: Katie finds a friend in Autumn, a girl who likes both camping and dancing. Katie also finds out that the dancing school in Fir Lake is nothing in comparison with Anna Pavlova's, and that she likes yoga. The story follows Katie as she struggles to make her way through her first year in high school, along with her boy, friendship, and sisterly problems.

The Year My Sister Got Lucky was an incredibly well-written book about sisterhood. Even though I do not have the same sisterly bond with my sister as Katie has with Michaela, it was very easy to understand where Katie was coming from. All she really wanted when moving to the new town was for things to be normal and for her sister to be the same. But her sister didn't have the same idea, and because Michaela kept this secret from Katie, things started to get difficult between them. Katie's struggles are very realistic, and many times, I felt like I was inside her head and because we are so similar. Everything made sense in this book, and I like that because I didn't have to figure everything out for myself.

I highly recommend The Year My Sister Got Lucky to all girls. In my opinion, it is Aimee Friedman's best novel yet. I look forward to more novels of this depth and style from her.

[...]

I'm a big fan of Aimee Friedman, but I couldn't really relate to this book in any way. The main character is a lot younger and less mature than Holly and Alexa of South Beach and French Kiss. I felt there were a lot of unnecessary plot details in the book, such as the extensive focus on the sisters' dancing, dance school, the new house, parents, and the mysterious Emmaline, which didn't contribute much to the story's development.

*Spoiler alert*

I like the premise of the book - that it focuses on the bond between two sisters and how that bond changes when they are uprooted from their hometown and one of them embraces their new life and embraces change, altering their relationship. However, I felt that it would be better if several things were reversed. I think it would have made more sense for the girls to move from a small town to the big city, transitioning from being amateur dancers to showcasing Michaela's growing talent instead of her eventual abandonment of dance. I think it would have made more sense for the sisters to be more like best friends in the beginning of the book -- it mostly talks about Katie admiring Michaela from afar and looking up to her rather than emphasizing the things they do together as sisters. It would make more sense for them to be twins or maybe a year apart - it isn't very believable for sisters with a four-year age difference to be that close, and it didn't seem that they were close enough for Katie to expect their bond to continue to be superclose as she entered high school. Their relationship wasn't established enough from the beginning. It just seemed like Katie idolized her sister.

I think the book would also have been better if Michaela had a more extreme lifestyle change. For example, if they moved from Fir Lake to the city, maybe Michaela would start hanging out with a fast crowd and going out drinking and everything. There were a couple of lines in the book that I felt were out of place, like when Michaela tells Katie that she only sees what she wants to see, or that "nothing feels real until she tells her." If that were really true, why would Michaela shut Katie out of her personal life for almost three months and tell everything to Heather?

I could relate to the anger and hurt that Katie experienced by feeling disconnected from her sister, but the fact that this was taking place after a move far from home, spending so much less time focused on dance AND entering high school was too much pressure to put on one character when the main focus is supposed to be on her relationship with her sister. Lastly, the title seemed inappropriate. Michaela didn't really get lucky to me. She was born with talent and made an effort to experience a new life in Fir Lake, but is getting lucky supposed to be a sexual reference?

simple story, but captivating. i could totally relate to this story too, and it was so good. i love it!

Katie Wilder has recently experienced many changes in her young life. Her family has moved from exciting and bustling New York City to the tranquil town of Fir Lake. She must start high school without her friends and the dance school in the new town is extremely inferior to the prestigious one she is accustomed to attending. Fortunately, she has a close relationship with her older sister Michaela and they help each other to adapt to their new surroundings. However, when Michaela begins to make friends and becomes part of the popular crowd, Katie feels abandoned and resentful. As time progresses, Katie realizes she must let go of the past and pursue new interests and experiences in order to grow as a person.

Teenaged girls will love this story, especially ones who are blessed to have a sister. The author addresses everyday situations, such as dating and sibling rivalry, with humor and insight. Telling the story from Katie's point of view makes it more realistic and helps the reader experience her emotions more deeply. Friedman does an excellent job of showing Katie's transition from a city girl to a small town girl. It is entertaining to watch her learn that Fir Lake, although it is much less exciting than New York City, does have positive attributes and she can benefit from interacting with new people.

The characters in this story were intriguing. By creating characters such as the prim and proper dance instructor in New York City and the mysterious neighbor in Fir Lake, Friedman captured my attention and made me want to learn more about them. Katie and Michaela were portrayed realistically, so teenagers will be able to easily identify with their stories.

Year My Sister Got Lucky is definitely worth reading. It will provide humor and entertainment to females of all ages. This story brought back memories of the childhood I shared with my two older sisters. It was fun for me to relive those moments.

Armchair Interviews says: Wonderful story of accepting change and growing from it.

"The Year..." was an enjoyable read with believable characters and although you wish the book wouldn't end the ending itself is very satisfying. It was easy to relate to Katie, her friends, and family. While the problems in the story (sisters, moving, old and new friends, new school, boys, growing up and finding your own identity, etc.) transcend generations there were also enough references to current pop culture to keep it from feeling dated. I am also pleased to read a book that is not part of a series (although regarding teen series you can't do better than Phyllis Reynold Naylor's Alice books!).

"The Year..." was an enjoyable read with believable characters and although you wish the book wouldn't end the ending itself is very satisfying. It was easy to relate to Katie, her friends, and family. While the problems in the story (sisters, moving, old and new friends, new school, boys, growing up and finding your own identity, etc.) transcend generations there were also enough references to current pop culture to keep it from feeling dated. I am also pleased to read a book that is not part of a series (although regarding teen series you can't do better than Phyllis Reynold Naylor's Alice books!).

Katie and her perfect sister, Michaela, have a brand new life in the country.

In their previous life, they've lived in New York City and danced ballet under the watchful eye of a legendary ballerina. But things have changed, and now Katie is lost on her own while her sister transforms into the queen bee of the social scene. Soon Michaela's dating the hottest guy in school and her best friends don't include Katie.

The two of them always shared secrets, but now Michaela barely talks to her about real life. Katie feels stung by her sister's betrayal.

Can sisters really be best friends?

Aimee Friedman dissects the sister relationship in her new book THE YEAR MY SISTER GOT LUCKY. The relationship between Katie and Michaela will captivate readers and the divergence from her usual characters will not be disappointing.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel