Sisters in Sanity

Gayle Forman
Harper Collins (2007)
ISBN 9780060887476
Reviewed by Casey Holt (age 13) for Reader Views (2/08)

This book is about a young girl named Brit. Her dad remarried when Brit's mom left after being diagnosed with SchizoPhobia. Brit hates her stepmom and calls her “Stepmonster.”  Her stepmom is always telling her dad that she is so rebellious, and she needs to “stop hanging out with those band kids.” She thinks that just because Brit has magenta streaks in her black hair, that she must be a terrible person. What? Before she knows it, her dad packs her up in the car for a “trip to the Grand Canyon.” He says that her stepmom and her baby brother are flying, and that they are going to meet them there. But pretty soon, they stop at a rundown looking building with a fence topped with barbed wire all around, and two big guards standing at the gate. She opens her door, and the guards run over and grab her! They put her hands behind her back and start forcing her towards the door. She yells out to her dad, telling him to stop, what was this misunderstanding all about, anyways? But he just shakes his head, telling her that he is doing this all out of love, can't she understand?
  
The guards take her to a solitary room and strip her of all her clothing and personal belongings. They give her some tattered pajamas and slippers, and then leave. She is so confused, and thinks that it's all been a mistake! After a few days, the reality starts to sink in, and she realizes that this is really real, and not a dream. She learns the ways of this insane, messed up “treatment” center, and meets V, Bebe, Martha, and Cassie. These five girls keep each other sane, while Red Rock Treatment Center is messing up their lives.
 
I really liked this book, and I would recommend “Sisters in Sanity” to girls ages 13 and up.

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