Ink Is Thicker Than Water

Ink Is Thicker Than Water by Amy Spalding, 285 pages

Kellie isn’t as smart or as beautiful as her older sister, Sara. She doesn’t have a boyfriend, either (yet). But she has a best friend and a pretty decent family, even if her family is a little weird. Her mom and dad are divorced and her mom is remarried to a tattoo artist and now works with him in his tattoo shop. Her dad is dating someone but won’t tell his daughters about her, even though they know. Her mom and stepdad have a little boy too. Mostly, this is fine, great even, but lately, Kellie feels like Sara is slipping away from her family. When Sara turns 18, she finds her birth mom (she is adopted) and starts spending a LOT of time with her. Kellie gets a boyfriend, which is good (but kind of confusing), but her best friend starts hanging out with the cool crowd and blowing her off. Kellie is also getting interested in the school paper and making some new friends there, but it doesn’t make up for all of the turmoil with her sister and best friend. This was a very good book about family relationships, set in St. Louis. Teen girls, especially those from St. Louis, will love this book.