For this installment of our weekly book reviews from Booklist, the American Library Association’s nationally distributed book and media review publication, we have Jessica Durham’s review of “Three Sisters” by David Macinnis Gill, first published February 12, 2026, at Booklist Online.
Enjoy.
“Three Sisters”
By David Macinnis Gill. March 2026. 272p. Greenwillow, $19.99 (9780062290199). Grades 8–12.
This latest outing by veteran author Gill has an apt title, referring to both the setting in the Oregon Cascades range and the three Anderson sisters who, with their father, hike up a beloved trail to spread their late mother’s ashes. When South Sister begins spewing ash, the family must rely on one another to make it off the mountain alive. Told from oldest sister Harper’s point of view and interspersed with scientific communications, the story seethes with tension; the inevitable chaos and environmental horrors are enough to make anyone nervous. Harper’s mixed feelings about her promotion to pseudo-parent are obvious; her father’s lack of awareness and dangerous missteps give the reader the necessary explanation as to why all three girls read far older than their years. Even throughout the turmoil, though, they are still sisters; they fight, they joke, and they tease to keep themselves going. An undercurrent of climate change–induced extreme weather is unmistakable. Emotionally rewarding but not for everyone due to its medical trauma, this story will tug at heartstrings and leave readers gasping for air.— Jessica Durham
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