Sibling Rivalry

Conflict between siblings is a universal theme. Stories about famous siblings from Cain and Abel to Venus and Serena Williams have captivated people throughout the centuries.
The following books explore the frustrations of sharing Mom and Dad’s attention, dealing with annoying younger brothers and sisters, and learning to appreciate each other.
Picture Books
Broach, Elise
What the No-Good Baby is Good For. 2005.
Tired of all the trouble his no-good baby sister causes, John tells his mother the baby has to go and she agrees, but as John packs the baby’s suitcase, he realizes there are some things he likes about his sister, too.
[Education S Collection: SE. B781w]

Enderle, Judith Ross.
Smile, Principessa! 2007.
A sister is jealous when her baby brother starts getting all the attention in the family photographs.
[Education S Collection: SE. En217s]

Henkes, Kevin
Julius the Baby of the World. 1989.
Lilly is convinced that the arrival of her new baby brother is the worst thing that has happened in their house until Cousin Garland comes to visit.
[Education Storage: SE. H389JU]

Palatini, Margie
Broom Mates. 2003.
Gritch the Witch is not pleased when her sister, Mag the Hag, shows up early for the party.
[Education Storage: Q. SE. P172b]

Polacco, Patricia
My Rotten, Redheaded Older Brother. 1994.
After losing running, climbing, throwing, and burping competitions to her obnoxious older brother, a young girl makes a wish on a falling star.
[Education S Collection: Q. SE. P757mb]

Potter, Giselle
Chloe’s Birthday . . . and Me. 2004.
When attention must be paid to her little sister Chloe’s birthday, Giselle, who lives with her family in France, makes inappropriate gift suggestions and almost spoils the big day.
[Education Storage: SE. P852c]

Reynolds, Peter
The Best Kid in the World. 2006.
Jealous of her older brother’s “Best Kid in the World” medal, SugarLoaf tries to figure out how to get one for herself.
[Education S Collection: SE. R336b]
Middle Grades
Ash, Frank
Star Jumper: Journal of a Cardboard Genius. 2006
Alex, a self-proclaimed genius, invents a spaceship in order to escape his annoying younger brother in this humorous story.
[Education S Collection: S. As23s]

Avi
Never Mind! A Twin Novel. 2004.
Twelve-year-old New York City twins Meg and Edward have nothing in common, so they are just as shocked as everyone else when Meg’s hopes for popularity and Edward’s mischievous schemes coincidentally collide in a hilarious showdown.
[Education Storage: S. Av51nm]

Blume, Judy
Soupy Saturdays with The Pain and The Great One. 2007.
Revisits the sometimes challenging relationship between a six-year-old (The Pain) and his eight-year-old sister (The Great One) through seven chapters featuring such events as learning to ride a bicycle, having a birthday party, and dog-sitting.
[Education S Collection: S. B625su]

Cholodenko, Gennifer
Notes From a Liar and Her Dog. 2001.
Eleven-year-old Ant, stuck in a family that she does not like, copes by pretending that her “real” parents are coming to rescue her, by loving her dog Pistachio, by volunteering at the zoo, and by bending the truth and telling lies.
[Education Storage: S.C453n]

Davies, Jacqueline
The Lemonade War. 2007.
Evan and his younger sister, Jesse, react very differently to the news that they will be in the same class for fourth grade and as the end of summer approaches, they battle it out through lemonade stands, each trying to be the first to earn 100 dollars.
[Education S Collection: S. D2873l]

Hughes, Mark Peter
I Am the Wallpaper. 2005.
Thirteen-year-old Floey Packer, jealous of her attractive and popular older sister, shares her home with two younger cousins and experiences a summer vacation filled with embarrassing events, with herself as the star.
[Education S Collection: S. H874i]

McKissack, Patricia
Loved Best. 2005.
Who Is Loved Best? Because she’s the oldest and can do the most, Carolyn is sure she is loved the best. But then she begins to have doubts: Her mom spoils her little sister when she’s sick, her parents post her little brother’s perfect math quiz on the fridge but barely notice her own perfect paper, and they make a bigger fuss over her brother’s and sister’s small parts in the spring play than they do her speaking part. But when things don’t happen exactly as Carolyn expected, she learns an important lesson about what it means to be loved best.
[Education S Collection: S. M217lo]
Teens
Barrett, Tracy
Anna of Byzantium. 1999.
In the eleventh century the teenage princess Anna Comnena fights for her birthright, the throne to the Byzantine Empire, which she fears will be taken from her by her younger brother John because he is a boy.
[Education Storage: S.B2756a]

Cart, Michael, ed.
Necessary Noise: Stories About Our Families As They Really Are. 2003.
A collection of short stories about contemporary family life. Included are two stories on sibling rivalry, Norma Howe’s “Siskiyou Sloan and the Eye of the Giraffe” and Sonya Sones’s story in verse, “Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde.”
[Uni High: 813.08 N282]

Griffin, Adele
Where I Want To Be. 2004.
Two teenaged sisters, separated by death but still connected, work through their feelings of loss over the closeness they shared as children that was later destroyed by one’s mental illness, and finally make peace with each other.
[Education Storage: S. G875w]

Lieberg, Carolyn S.
West With Hopeless. 2004.
Bound for Reno and their divorced father for the summer, two half-sisters leave from Iowa in an old Ford Escort and learn a great deal about the people they encounter and even more about themselves. Carin has always traveled west on airplanes to spend her summers with Dad. But this year her loser half sister, Hope, has to drive, and Carin is stuck riding shotgun. Crazy strangers await them at every stop, and with the strangest one of all behind the wheel, Carin is sure they’re headed for disaster. Despite a bumpy start and some comical close calls, the trip becomes a journey of both miles and understanding. Keep one eye on the road and both hands on the wheel as you hit the highway with Carin and Hope, making memories at every turn.
[Center for Children’s Books: S. L621w]

Mazer, Norma Fox.
Three Sisters. 1986.
Karen’s misplaced romantic feelings for her sister Liz’s boyfriend threaten to alienate Liz, but a disturbing revelation from the third sister in the family promises to bind them all together again.
[Oak Street: 813 M457T]

Spinelli, Jerry
Who Put That Hair In My Toothbrush? 1984
The sibling rivalry between twelve-year-old Megin and her older brother Greg intensifies after she ruins his science project and he retaliates by throwing her favorite hockey stick into the pond.
[Education S-Collection: S. SP46W]

Tigelaar, Liz
Pretty Tough. 2007.
Two feuding sisters from Malibu, California, take their rivalry to the soccer field when both girls make the high school team.
[Education S Collection: S. T448p]