Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks

I have previously enjoyed Lauren Myracle's books Eleven and Twelve, so I was psyched when the cover of Peace, Love & Baby Ducks caught my eye at the library. The cover is fantastic and the novel is even better.

It is, simply put, a love letter to sisters. Carly returns from a summer hippie work project full of ideals and granola vibes. These are difficult to maintain in her uppercrust Atlanta neighborhood, at her pretentious school, and in light of the fact that her sister Anna has become a babe. There are very few times in my life that I have wished for a sister (brothers rock!), but reading this book was one of them. Myracle deftly shows how sisters can bond and fight and be jealous and adore each other, usually in a ten minute span.

Aside from the central plot of sisterhood, Peace, Love & Baby Ducks also tackles larger issues. Carly is unsure about how she fits into her wealthy southern world after a taste of something different. She asks herself important questions about religion and the hypocrisy that she sees at her school, Holy Redeemer. Carly also learns more about racism and realizes that she encounters it more often than she ever realized. Of course, there is a love story as well (that's the big heart on the front cover!) when Carly falls for someone she shouldn't, hurting the guy who she should be with all along.

I continue to be impressed by Lauren Myracle's ability to strike exactly the right note. Don't miss this book!