Robyn's Want Ad

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

“Wanted—Older Brother. Good at math. Wicked on a skateboard. Must
share TV time. Apply to Robyn, #402 Hillside Apartments.”

Third-grader Robyn wants an older brother. Not a full-time sibling,
mind you, just a part-time big bro who can help her with homework, teach
her to sidewalk surf, and chase off the occasional schoolyard bully.
Unfortunately, after she takes out an ad in the local newspaper, the
only kid who applies for the job is Ari, a pesky boy in Robyn’s class
who belongs to a nerd clique Robyn calls “The Three Twerps.” And it
turns out that Ari doesn’t really want to be a big brother; he just
wants free piano lessons. To her annoyance, Robyn discovers that getting
rid of Ari is just as hard as finding a big brother.

The ups and downs of having siblings are explored in this humorous
novel by award-winning author Hazel Hutchins. All the characters are
well-rounded and interesting. Robyn, who has no brother, can only
imagine the good points of having one. Marie, Robyn’s best friend, has
two older brothers and wishes she could take out an ad to sell them. Ari
definitely lives up to his twerp designation, yet comes through for
Robyn in the end. Yvonne Cathcart’s comical illustrations support the
text perfectly. Highly recommended.