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The Sullivan Sisters

About The Book

From the author of the “intense coming-of-age story” (School Library Connection) The Great Unknowable End and the “beyond refreshing…irreverent” (Booklist, starred review) Tash Hearts Tolstoy comes an introspective, atmospheric novel about sisterhood, coming-of-age, and learning that it’s never too late to reconnect with those you love.

Time changes things.

That painful fact of life couldn’t be truer for the Sullivan sisters. Once, they used to be close, sharing secrets inside homemade blanket castles. Now, life in the Sullivan house means closed doors and secrets left untold.

Fourteen-year-old Murphy, an aspiring magician, is shocked by the death of Siegfried, her pet turtle. Seventeen-year-old Claire is bound for better things than her Oregonian hometown—until she receives a crushing rejection from her dream college. And eighteen-year-old Eileen is nursing a growing addiction in the wake of life-altering news.

Then, days before Christmas, a letter arrives, informing the sisters of a dead uncle and an inheritance they knew nothing about. The news forces them to band together in the face of a sinister family mystery…and, possibly, murder.

The Sullivan Sisters is an unforgettable novel about the ghosts of the past, the power of connection, and the bonds of sisterhood.

About The Author

Photograph by Kathryn Ormsbee

Kathryn Ormsbee grew up with a secret garden in her backyard and a spaceship in her basement. She is the author of The Water and the Wild, The Doorway and the Deep, and The House in Poplar Wood and the YA novels Lucky Few, Tash Hearts Tolstoy, The Great Unknowable End, and The Sullivan Sisters. She’s lived in lots of fascinating cities, from Birmingham to London to Seville, but she currently lives in Eugene, Oregon.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (June 23, 2020)
  • Length: 384 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781534420557
  • Ages: 12 - 99

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Raves and Reviews

PRAISE FOR THE SULLIVAN SISTERS

"This outstanding story features three memorable characters, the right amount of suspense, and a vivid rendering of the complexities of sisterly love. Absorbing and statisfying."

– Kirkus Reviews

"An engaging, rewarding, and realistic family drama for readers who enjoy juicy family secrets and murder mysteries."

– School Library Journal

PRAISE FOR LUCKY FEW

* "A sweet story told with intelligence, humor, and just the right amount of kissing."

– Kirkus Reviews, Starred

* "Winsome characters, crackling dialogue, and an effortlessly enjoyable writing style help this one stand out in the crowded contemporary YA marketplace."

– Publishers Weekly, Starred

PRAISE FOR TASH HEARTS TOLSTOY

* "Beyond refreshing."

– Booklist, Starred

* "Whip-smart, funny, flawed, and compassionate, these are characters readers will want to know and cheer for. A clever, thoroughly enjoyable addition to the growing body of diverse teen literature."

– Kirkus Reviews, Starred

PRAISE FOR THE GREAT UNKNOWABLE END

"Ormsbee pulls the reader into a state of desperate reading as they move forward to discover what will happen next."

– School Library Connection, Recommended

"Realism with a hint of science fiction will inspire readers to question their own trajectories."

– Kirkus Reviews

Awards and Honors

  • Oregon Book Award Finalist

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images

More books from this author: Kathryn Ormsbee