Annie's Adventures

By Lauren Baratz-Logsted

A rather large problem has befallen the Huit girls. (Sisters, actually. Octuplets to be exact.) One particular New Year’s Eve, the girls wait for their mommy to bring them hot chocolate and their daddy to return with more wood for the fire. But they don’t. Mommy and Daddy, that is. They’re gone. Poof! Maybe dead—no one knows for sure.
   You must see the problem here. Eight little girls on their own, no mommy or daddy to take care of them. This is not a good thing.
   So now these little girls must take care of themselves. Get to school, cook the meals, feed the cats (eight of them, too), and pay the bills. They can’t ask for help, oh no. Any self-respecting adult would surely call in social services, and those well-meaning people would have to split them up. After losing their parents, being split up would be completely unbearable.
   At the same time, the question remains: What happened to Mommy and Daddy? The Sisters Eight (as they are called, affectionately and otherwise) are determined to find out. Luckily, they do seem to have someone or something helping them. Notes keep appearing behind a loose brick in the fireplace.
   It’s a good old-fashioned mystery with missing (or dead) parents, nosy neighbors, talking refrigerators, foul-smelling fruitcake (is there any other kind?), and even a little magic. Eight little girls, eight cats, and one big mystery—let the fun begin!

Annie’s Adventures, wherein the girls’ parents go missing (or die) and the girls learn each one has a power and gift. Annie, being the oldest, is the first to discover hers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Dec 29, 2008
• ISBN: 9780547575827

Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Lauren Baratz-Logsted has written books for all ages. Her books for children and young adults include the Sisters Eight series, The Education of Bet and Crazy Beautiful. She lives with her family in Danbury, Connecticut.

Book preview

Copyright © 2008 by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Illustrations copyright © 2008 by Lisa K. Weber

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to [e-mail] or to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 3 Park Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, New York 10016.

www.hmhco.com

The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:

Baratz-Logsted, Lauren.

Annie’s adventures / by Lauren Baratz-Logsted ;

with Greg Logsted and Jackie Logsted.

p. cm.—(The sisters eight ; bk. 1)

Summary: On New Year’s Eve, the octuplets Huit—Annie, Durinda, Georgia, Jackie, Marcia, Petal, Rebecca, and Zinnia—discover that their parents are missing, and then uncover a mysterious note instructing them that each must find her power and her gift if they want to know what happened to their parents.

ISBN 978-0-547-13349-2 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-0-547-05338-7 (paperback)

[1. Sisters—Fiction. 2. Abandoned children—Fiction.]

I. Logsted, Greg. II. Logsted, Jackie. III. Title.

PZ7.B22966An 2008

[Fic]-dc22

2008000602

eISBN 978-0-547-57582-7

v4.1215

For Julia Richardson,

obviously and with love

[Image]

Prologue

The story always begins the same.

Once upon a time, there were eight sisters who would all one day be eight years old.

At the same time.

They were octuplets, you see.

Their names were Annie, Durinda, Georgia, Jackie, Marcia, Petal, Rebecca, and Zinnia. They were each born a minute apart on August 8, 2000. All eight had brown hair and brown eyes. And although they were all the same exact age, give or take a few minutes, each was one inch taller than the next, with Zinnia being the shortest and Annie the tallest.

And their story always begins the same, so:

Please stop reading if you have read about the Sisters Eight before, and go directly to chapter one.

Please keep reading if you have not read about the Sisters Eight before.

Please keep reading if you have read about the Sisters Eight before but your memory is lousy.

Please keep reading if you have read about the Sisters Eight before but you simply like the writing here and want to read this part over and over again.

Eight girls in one story, or one series of stories. This is bad news for boys, who may suspect that there are no snails or puppy dogs’ tails in this book. However, there might be snails and puppy dogs’ tails, but the only way you will ever know this is to read further. Remember: girls can be just as grubby as boys—you just have to give them half a chance.

The family name of the Sisters Eight was Huit, which is French for eight and pronounced like wheat, as in cream of, which I hope you never have to eat. On New Year’s Eve 2007, as you shall soon see, their parents disappeared, or died, one of the two—this was a fine holiday present for the sisters, let me tell you.

Parents disappeared, presumed dead, actually dead—parents don’t fare very well in children’s stories these days, I’m afraid. Best to be a child and not a parent, then.

The Sisters Eight lived in a magnificent stone house, which you will see more of very soon. It could practically have been a castle. It was therefore not the kind of house you would want to leave under any circumstances, certainly not after your parents had disappeared. Or died. You would not want to be taken away from your sisters, separated. And so they had to endeavor—as you would no doubt do too—to hang on to their home and to one another, keeping the truth away from the prying eyes of adults, who would surely have split them all up like so many stalks of wheat cast upon the wind.

Not an easy task—sticking together with loved ones—when you are seven, soon to be eight.

And where was this magnificent stone house? Why, it might have been anywhere in the world—even right next door to you—so why quibble? However, if there were octuplets in your class at school, you would probably have noticed by now, so perhaps that’s not the case.

One thing was for sure: there were undoubtedly many cats in this almost castle, cats who would also have been taken away if word got out that the parents of the Sisters Eight had disappeared. Or died.

As we approach the beginning of our first adventure, it is that fateful New Year’s Eve 2007 and the girls are about to discover the disappearance of their parents—odd, the idea of discovering that which has disappeared—as well as a note hidden behind a loose stone in the wall of the drawing room of their magnificent home. The note reads:

Dear Annie, Durinda, Georgia, Jackie, Marcia, Petal, Rebecca, and Zinnia,

This may come as rather a shock to you, but it appears you each possess a power and a gift. The powers you already have—you merely don’t know you have them yet. The gifts are from your parents, and these you must also discover for yourselves. In fact, you must each discover both your power and your gift in order to reveal what happened to your parents. Have you got all that?

The note is unsigned.

And what has happened to their parents? Well, we don’t know that yet, do we? If we did, then this would be the end of our story, not the beginning . . .

Chapter One

It was New Year’s Eve 2007, approximately ten o’clock, and we were just getting ready to celebrate Christmas.

This may seem an odd time to celebrate Christmas, but on December 25, we had been stranded by snowstorms in Utah. Our parents had decreed that we celebrate our belated holiday on the eve of another holiday, and so we were about to enjoy a twofer. Or so we thought.

But where are the presents? asked Zinnia.

We were in the drawing room, which sounds like a room you draw pictures in but that we actually just sit in. On this night, we were sitting around a dying fire, waiting for something exciting to happen.

Betty came in with her dust cloth, which wasn’t exciting at all. Betty was our mother’s invention, a black and gold robot designed to make our life easier by doing the cleaning. But something had gone wrong with Betty’s programming.

Why don’t you dust the floor under the tree? Zinnia suggested to Betty. That way, it will be cleaner there when our presents arrive.

Betty took the dust cloth, which she had draped over one of her accordion arms, and with one pincered hook placed it upon her own head.

Do you see what we mean about Betty?

Good job, Betty, Zinnia said. Really, what else could one say?

Bye, Betty! we all shouted after her as she exited the room. Betty would probably now head outdoors to dust under the wrong tree.

The drawing room was our favorite room of the house. There was a grandfather clock and even a suit of armor propped in one corner. Daddy always said every home should have one—the suit of armor, not the clock. Daddy hated clocks. The walls of the room were made out of big slats of gray stone, which was cool in summer, but not so hot in winter.

Perhaps Mommy and Daddy are waiting until we go to sleep, as usual, Annie said to Zinnia, and why do you always have to worry so much about presents anyway?

I don’t know why you have to be so bossy, Durinda said to Annie.

Because she’s the oldest, Georgia said. There was something sneering about the way she said it, like she was thinking of staging a coup.

Do you always have to sneer so much, Georgia? said Petal in a rare stab at speaking out of turn. Petal was our shy girl.

The mouse roars, observed Rebecca snidely.

I don’t think you should pick on Petal, said Jackie, our peacemaker.

And I don’t know why you have to stick up for everyone all the time, observed Georgia. Then she sighed. I’m bored.

How can you be bored? Annie asked. You got caught in an avalanche in Utah. Wasn’t that enough excitement for you?

Georgia yawned. "It was just a tiny avalanche. I could have swam out

Reviews for Annie's Adventures

[nicoally · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What do the 8 year-old Huit octuplets do when they find out their parents are missing? Learn to drive, cook, and pay bills of course! They are, however, left with an anonymous note that states that each sister must determine what their powers is and find their gift before their parents can return. In this first book of the series, Annie, the oldest and tallest of the octuplets, must discover her talent and gift before time runs out. The author uses a mixture of humor, mystery, and fantasy to create a worthy transitional chapter book that both children 7-11 and adults will enjoying reading together. While overall a simple read with its short chapters, it may be difficult to distinguish the different personalities of each sister since there are so many and they overlap some; therefore, one must pay close attention to the dialog in order to follow it. The reader will wish to continue with the rest of this adventurous series in order to find out each sister’s power and gift. Recommend.

[skstiles612 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was disappointed when I first got this book and started it. It seemed unbelievable that eight young girls (Octuplets) could realistically be left alone and take care of themselves. As I read through the book it took on a little more charm. This is the first book in the series about eight young girls whose parents suddenly disappear. They decide not to call the police because they would probably be split up. They received a mysterious message telling them they each need to find their power and their gift and then they will be able to solve the problem of what happened to their parents. This was cute. I don’t really think my middle school students will be interested in this series. I felt it was more for the upper elementary age. It was not a book I would necessarily recommend to my students or put on my shelf.

[abbylibrarian_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

The Huit octuplets find themselves sans parents and receiving mysterious notes that encourage them to each find a power and a gift in order to figure out what's happened to their parents. The gimmicky setup might have appeal with some kids, but the story wasn't funny or compelling enough to encourage me to sift through the conversations of all the interchangeable sisters.

[nomadreader_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Annie's Adventures is the first in the new series The Sisters 8 by Laruren Baratz-Logsted. It's the story of octuplets (far more lovable than the infamous real-life octuplets). Our heroines were born on August 8th, 2000. They each have a cat. Their last name is Huit (French for 8). It's a numerology bonanza. They were born one minute apart, and the total difference in their height is one inch (meaning the oldest, Annie, is eight inches taller than her eight minutes younger sister).Our story begins on New Year's Eve, when our beloved octuplets notice their father went out to get more wood for the fire quite a while ago, and their mother went to get eggnog quite a while ago. The girls soon discover a note, telling them they each have a gift, and they each much find a present to uncover the secret to where their parents are.The story is a mix of reality (how the not-yet-eight-year-olds must learn to function as adults so as not alarm neighbors, teachers, etc. that there parents are missing) and humor (their mother, a scientist, has a dimwitted robot maid who doesn't follow directions well) and fantasy (they're smart enough to fool adults). The overall affect is a delightful combination of realism, fantasy and humor sure to delight the intended audience, but clever enough to satisfy their parents.There are eight girls with eight cats, which means there are sixteen names to learn and try to keep straight in the 130-odd page text. There are occasional pictures (see the gorgeous cover) that are beautifully done. It seems the series will be at least eight parts, one devoted to each of the Huit sisters. I will warn you: I am enamored by this series, and I don't want to wait for all eight to be published. Start reading at your own peril; we won't find out where the parents are for quite a few more books. In the meantime though, enjoy.

[krissa_6 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked it. Octuplets. Very timely. Logical progression of events. Enough open-ended mysteries to make me want to read the next one. Enough lose ends tied up that I felt I had some closure. The octuplets had unique enough personalities, I didn’t feel like I was struggling to keep them straight.

[theepicrat · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Both charming and amusing to read for any age! Ordinary day-to-day things become a little bit more than ordinary. It is fun to see how these not-quite-8-years-old octuplets make do with their parents missing - from learning paying bills to learning how to drive.