Marshmallow Skye: The Chocolate Box Girls by Cathy Cassidy

Penguin, 2011. ISBN: 978 0 14 132524 8.
Recommended for girls 10+. Skye Tanberry, twin of the ballet mad Summer, is feeling as though she is being overlooked by her family, best friend and the kids from her class. Changes at home have impacted on the various members of the family in different ways. With her mother, Charlotte, engaged to Cherry's dad, Paddy, Skye's older sister, Honey, has distanced herself from events and responsibilities within their home and chocolate business. Whilst working on the house, Paddy unearths some family 'treasures' including vintage clothing, letters, a bird cage and a violin. The items are claimed by the different girls. While wearing the clothes and jewellery, Skye starts to dream of her ancestor and a boy named Finch. These dreams are so vivid; she finds it hard to decipher fact from fiction as she continues to look for the boy of her dreams.
This is the second book in The Chocolate Box Girls series and the narrator in each is the sister whose name appears in the title. Family relationships, friendship, boys, history and the differences between how others see us and the ways in which we perceive ourselves are amongst the themes explored in this novel. Cassidy examines the changing relationship and character development of the twins. Ultimately, she suggests that it is important to be true to ourselves whilst being sensitive to the feelings of others. Middle primary girls will be likely to enjoy the storylines of this series as 'grown up parties' and boys become part of the sisters' lives and they learn how to cope with these different events.
Jo Schenkel