Sparks of Joy
Actually, the synopsis is inaccurate, but in a way it's good: it prepares you for a few typos (including misplaced quotation marks and weird end-of-line word-divisions) in the actual book. At least the copy I have, which is attractively packaged as one in a presentation called "Especially for Girls," from Newfield Publications, Inc, has these imperfections.
This is the story of 13-year-old Natalie Wentworth, sole product of the marriage of Isobel and Jack. They divorced and were granted joint custody of Natalie. Jack married Jean, and they produced quintuplets: 3 girls and 2 boys, not in that order. While Jack, Jean, and Natalie were preparing for them, Isobel got a great job opportunity that meant that she'd have to make a pretty big move, and of course she assumed she'd be taking Natalie with her. It ended up with Natalie being given a choice, and Natalie choosing to stay with her dad and keep getting ready to be a full-time big (half-, if we're using affixes, not step-, which would refer to the product of any former marriages or relationships of Jean's) sister to what they first think is one baby, then twins, then triplets...
The story begins in the weeks before the quinfants (MY word, I'm surprised I've never seen or heard it used before, anywhere, have any of you?) turn one--right around Natalie's own birthday! Jack and Jean have almost totally rearranged their lives, starting with the setup of their house, and the strain is definitely showing. Natalie is starting to wish that the last time she'd visited her mom over the summer, she could have extended her stay--as in, PERMANENTLY! Or at least until the quints could take care of themselves/one-another. Her soccer-team status is in jeopardy when sitter snafus force her to pitch in above and beyond the call of sisterly duty. Pevsner gives a realistic presentation and whaddyaknow--the more sympathetic parent seems to be...well, you'll see. If you've read an earlier Pevsner novel, A SMART KID LIKE YOU, Jean might remind you of the "Dolores" who becomes a part of protagonist Nina's life. I read SMART KID because I'd enjoyed Pevsner's CUTE IS A FOUR-LETTER WORD (an excellent read, and not just for people who have ever thought that themselves, after hearing that word entirely too much, or feeling that it has been unfairly overused to describe them when they're so much more than just that) and I tried this book because I'd enjoyed the above 2 so much and I wanted to see what Pevsner did with this interesting premise.
Hm, where to start? The names. Actually, Jack and Jean took a cue from the hospital nursery and went somewhere good with it, but what they eventually say about the names isn't exactly true, is it? (Hint: Nicknames). Then there's the danger that they might never even be known by individual names. Guess who points this out and tries to set up a solution. (That was pretty good. I would've added the danger of one of them thinking his/her name was "And-[Name]." All the better--I can still use it!) The Dionne Quintuplets come up in conversation--courtesy of the cute new guy from...CANADA! Natalie's best friend Claudia, Claudia TRAINE, if you please, "adores being called Choo Choo." S-t-r-e-t-c-h. And a bit much alongside Jean's Aunt "Toots". Another friend, Jennifer, is nicknamed Jiggs.
Overall this still has the Pevsner style: light, brisk, mostly fun but knowing when to be serious. Natalie has an important home truth to learn and seems capable of learning it. Will she? You might really enjoy finding out. I hope so.
Recommended VCR or DVD viewing: "Raising Arizona" (Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter).
