By Katie Bernet
Sarah Barley Books / Simon & Schuster, 2026
390 pages
978-1-6659-8869-8
Age 12 and older
Louisa May Alcott’s March sisters are reimagined as their 21st-century doppelgangers in a contemporary mystery triggered by their father’s latest novel, titled Little Women. His readers are intrigued to learn that the characters are modeled on his real-life daughters and incensed that he chose to kill one off at the book’s end. His daughters’ reactions include Meg’s fury that her privacy was violated without consent and Beth’s wondering if he finds her so uninteresting that he can’t even imagine her future. Aspiring author Jo defends their father’s plotting choice, while Amy resents being cast as the family brat. The novel’s fiction becomes reality when Beth’s body is discovered after a New Year’s Eve party; her grieving sisters resolve to investigate her murder. As the girls work their way through a line of suspects (all secondary characters from Alcott’s original Little Women), dismissing each after a closer look, their own closely held secrets are exposed. These sisters bicker—sometimes furiously—but it’s clear that they’re devastated by Beth’s death and committed to learning the truth behind it. Chapters alternate between the sisters’ perspectives and jump between events before and after Beth’s murder, giving way near the conclusion to a heartbreaking scene describing Beth’s last moments. Bernet merges a beloved 19th-century family story with today’s culture of fandoms and social media while staying true to Alcott’s characters’ personalities, making this accessible to fans of the original version as well as those meeting the March sisters for the first time. ©2026 Cooperative Children’s Book Center