I read this almost immediately after reading Lotta on Troublemaker Street and I was a bit disappointed with this one. It’s not a sequel, as I’d thought, but a companion book. It seems to take place about a year before the Lotta book. (In the Lotta book she is 5; in this book she is 4 years old.)

The Lotta book was told by the author but much was from Lotta’s viewpoint. This book is told by Lotta’s older sister, who’s almost 6 and the middle child in the family. This is a series of days in the life of this family, particularly the children in the family.

I suspect I would have loved it when I was 5 to 7 years old, and that I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t just finished the Lotta book. This one did not seem as charming to me, or quite as good natured/good hearted. It was sure jam packed full of events. It has only 92 pages but 10 chapters. It reminded me slightly of one of my favorite all time books Meet the Austins by Madeleine L’Engle, but designed for a slightly younger audience, and I didn’t like it nearly as much.

It’s still a worthwhile read, especially for girls 5-7 years old. Young readers should be able to read the Troublemaker Street books on their own, although they would be fun as read aloud books. The illustrations are lovely and fit the story well.