Super-Completely and Totally the Messiest

It's hard being practically perfect and having the world's messiest younger sister. Big sister is constantly urging Sophie to be neat — "like me, Olivia" — but whether at home, at school, trick-or-treating on Halloween, or even at the beach, Sophie is a disaster. Still, as big brother, Jake, and their parents keep reminding Olivia, Sophie does have some redeeming qualities.

Sophie joins the legendary Alexander as super-completely and totally one of Judith Viorst's most irresistible characters ever.

Publishers Weekly

The title of this slender tale from the team behind Alexander, Who's Not (Do you hear me? I mean it!) Going to Move describes Sophie, who is as clumsy as she is messy. Sophie's neat-as-a-pin, "practically perfect" older sister, Olivia, characterizes Sophie in an intermittently humorous, yet rather tedious, litany of her disheveled sibling's mishaps. Glasser's animated artwork delivers much of the comedy; the cartoonish illustrations capture both Sophie's unruly appearance and behavior with an appealing, light touch and always convey the girl's big heart. Kid-tickling detail abounds in such images as the copious contents of Sophie's closet spilling out and entirely burying the child, and Sophie painting a self-portrait literally on her classroom desk (the legs of which sport her yellow rubber boots). Glasser handles Sophie's cluttered world with aplomb, using pen-and-ink to outline her surroundings and a judicious touch of watercolor to keep readers' focus on the relevant action. Yet the single-themed narrative becomes repetitious. The greatest strength of the volume is the loving family's acceptance of Sophie's many quirks and their obvious affection for her. Though Sophie may not have the staying power of Viorst's perennially popular Alexander, her antics will surely elicit grins—and perhaps even giggles—from young readers. Ages 4-7. (Mar.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Judith Viorst was born and brought up in New Jersey, graduated from Rutgers University, moved to Greenwich Village, and has lived in Washington, D.C., since 1960, when she married Milton Viorst, a political writer. They have three sons—Anthony and Nick (who are lawyers) and Alexander (who does community-development lending for a bank) and seven grandchildren—Miranda, Brandeis, Olivia, Nathaniel, Benjamin, Isaac, and Toby.