Half a Sister

Hannah’s thrilled when she discovers that Dad has another daughter, Ellie – which means she has a long-lost half sister! And when Ellie’s mum goes into hospital, Ellie comes over from Paris to stay with Hannah’s family. At first, Hannah loves having a sister. She’s always hated being the only child in her boring, normal family, and Ellie is ultra-cool, ultra-glam and ultra-fun! But when Ellie’s exotic, hippyish upbringing clashes with Hannah’s conventional family life, it soon becomes clear that ‘happy families’ may not be such an easy game to play… Before long, Hannah is desperate to have her dull family life back, so she hatches a plan to pack Ellie off to Paris. But it’s only when she meets Ellie’s troubled mother that Hannah comes to appreciate just how special her ‘boring’, ‘normal’ family really are… A funny and moving story of families, friendships, and finding ways to make them work.

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Recent reviews

  • loved it

    I love this so much and I have just finished for the second time! I love how it is in diary format because it make it easy to read. The part about the car crash got me shivering and hiding under a blanket-but I still continued I definitely made the right choice.

    8 November 2016

  • i love this book and it is wrote in a a diary format which is great

    8 March 2013

  • loved it

    This book is in a diary format, which is – in my opinion – a more fun way to read a book. Plus, a book in diary format breaks it all up a bit so it’s easier to read for younger children. This starts off with Hannah (main character) telling us about herself, and why she started the diary. The idea of having a half sister is a very common theme for books, but Kelly McKain has managed to make it into an original, unique, funny book with a few twists and adventures to Paris along the way.

    The cover of Half a Sister is gorgeous, and it gives a great first impression! I like how most of the cover is illustrated, but there are a few real flowers on it too. I don’t think illustrators of books get enough credit for what they do, so I’d just like to say that Katie Lovell has done a brilliant job on this cover – well done!

    The characters in this book are just simply….awesome. ;) My favourite character is Ellie, Hannah’s newly discovered half-sister. She sounds quite cool, and although she has her down sides, she’s a great addition to the story. Her background is really interesting – but sad – and not many authors give a lot of information on the background of a character, so this was great.

    My overall rating of the whole book? Well – I can’t see any down sides to it at all! A great book to add to your bookshelf. Although my copy of this book can’t actually fit on my bookshelf…wow I really need a third one….ahem anyway, I give this book 5/5! It really does deserve it. Well done Kelly – you rock! :)

    4 March 2013

  • I have just brought the book and i am going to star reading it once i have finished the book i am reading now which is called The dare game by jacqluine Wilson

    I am just starting the book now

    9 June 2011

  • loved it

    This book is in a diary format, which is – in my opinion – a more fun way to read a book. Plus, a book in diary format breaks it all up a bit so it’s easier to read for younger children. This starts off with Hannah (main character) telling us about herself, and why she started the diary. The idea of having a half sister is a very common theme for books, but Kelly McKain has managed to make it into an original, unique, funny book with a few twists and adventures to Paris along the way.

    The cover of Half a Sister is gorgeous, and it gives a great first impression! I like how most of the cover is illustrated, but there are a few real flowers on it too. I don’t think illustrators of books get enough credit for what they do, so I’d just like to say that Katie Lovell has done a brilliant job on this cover – well done!

    The characters in this book are just simply….awesome. ;) My favourite character is Ellie, Hannah’s newly discovered half-sister. She sounds quite cool, and although she has her down sides, she’s a great addition to the story. Her background is really interesting – but sad – and not many authors give a lot of information on the background of a character, so this was great.

    My overall rating of the whole book? Well – I can’t see any down sides to it at all! A great book to add to your bookshelf. Although my copy of this book can’t actually fit on my bookshelf…wow I really need a third one….ahem anyway, I give this book 5/5! It really does deserve it. Well done Kelly – you rock! :)

    3 March 2011

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Authors

  • Kelly McKain

    Kelly McKain read English at Nottingham University. In 1996 she gained a 3-year Marketing Fellowship with WPP Group where she worked as part of a team to produce a wide range of children’s material. She completed an MA in Writing for Children at King Alfred’s College, Winchester and her MA novel, SECRETS, LIES AND LEILA, gained a distinction and won first prize in the 2001 Scholastic-sponsored new writing competition.

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