The familiar story of Christmas mornings, sibling ties that bind (and gag), and crushing on the boy next door gets twisted like a balloon animal in this companion novel to By the Book.
Teenage Jo reluctantly plays her literary namesake at Little Women Live! alongside sisters Meg and Amy and a rotating cast of Beths. When she has a chance to escape her family's cheesy reenactor lifestyle, Jo must decide how far she'll to go to find herself off the page and the stage.
A pitch-perfect homage to the messy-yet-loving chaos of family life.” -Megan Bannen, author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy
“Belittled Women is not just for fans of Little Women—it’s also for those of us who love a book featuring a rebellious, smart protagonist, a rustic, charming setting, and prose that makes us literally laugh out loud.” -Raquel Vasquez Gilliland, author of How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe
“Brimming with effortless banter set against a satisfying slow-burn romance. -Sarah Henning, author of Throw Like a Girl and It's All in How You Fall
“I loved this wry, witty, raucous take on Little Women.” -Jessica Spotswood, author of Great or Nothing
“The characters’ snappy repartee is both biting and affectionate, and the premise’s cheeky inventiveness—a remix within a remix that both enacts and interrogates the source material—buoys this playful jaunt.” -Publishers Weekly
“More of a ‘what if’ than a retelling, this novel will interest fans of the original but will also appeal to teens who are looking to be the weavers of their own tales, clobber their bratty sister a bit, and savor the ‘almost’ moments with the cute boy next door. With quick, breezy prose and relatable dialogue, the Porter sisters may not rival the Marches, but they leave their own mark.” -ALA Booklist
