Coping with Sibling Rivalry

School Library Journal

Gr 8-12-- A book that is informative, helpful, and interesting. Cohen uses a relaxed, personal, one-on-one style that breeds a comfortable ``big sister'' feeling in its readership. Solid pages of unillustrated text may seem somewhat intimidating initially, but Cohen's approach to topics such as birth order, stepsiblings, jealousy, quarrels, substance-abusing siblings, sick or disabled siblings, and strengthening sibling bonds provide readable and practical suggestions for dealing with existing and potential family problems. First-person accounts are interspersed throughout. Cohen occasionally introduces her own familial situations and parental perspective to encourage parent-child communication and foster an understanding of the parent as an imperfect and struggling individual. Throughout, communication and empathy are stressed as major keys to all successful interpersonal relationships. This may need help getting into the hands of teen readers, but once there, it will be a gentle, useful source of guidance and will provide much food for discussion and thought. --Celia A. Huffman, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Cleveland