Operation Sisterhood

The book presents building communities outside of biological and familial relationships as being of crucial importance to the well-being of individuals and groups. This theme is explored through Bo and Lola’s initiation into the Dwyer-Saunders family as well as through the family’s eventual integration into their neighborhood. Though the novel shows that community-building can be difficult, it also demonstrates that a community can provide its members with sources of support, joy, and self-discovery that would otherwise be unavailable.

For Bo, the first kind of community she must build is within her new family. Having lived as an only child all her life, she is apprehensive of how she will fit in with her new sisters. Surrendering some of her independence to accommodate the other members of the family is difficult for her. As she settles in, however, Bo discovers that she enjoys belonging to a sisterhood. Shared experiences are a large part of what fosters the sense of community Bo feels with the girls. This includes everything from household chores and freeschooling projects to picnics, family conversations, and playing music together. As Bo shares more experiences and activities with her new sisters, she feels more connected to them.

The idea of community in the book extends beyond the immediate family, and the adults around Bo recognize this, especially because they are at first not entirely accepted in their neighborhood. Rather than isolate within their own world, however, the adults actively make an effort to foster relationships within their neighborhood. The fight to rebuild the community garden, and taking on its responsibility is a huge part of the effort to win some community goodwill. This sense of initiative also trickles down to the children, and they, too, extend their energies into their community. Like their parents, they work to identify the needs of the people around them and figure out how they can fulfill them using their unique talents and interests, resulting in their babysitting band initiative. The same things that worked within the sisterhood yield success with the larger community: shared experiences, especially those that create a sense of belonging.

These shared experiences revolve around food and music. Just as the girls enjoyed picnicking together when they were all first bonding, they similarly offer neighbors like Ms. Tyler homemade goodies. An exchange of different kinds of food later becomes a huge part of the block party as well. Similarly, music and performance also bring both the sisterhood and the community together. It united the girls in their new band, and it became a way for them to help the community by extending their musical babysitting services. It also becomes a way for the neighborhood to partake and participate in the celebration at the block party via the community talent show.

The block party ultimately represents a culmination of this theme and the different ideas it explores. The party comes to be because the Dwyer-Saunders family is determined to build a sense of community within the neighborhood. The adults recognize the collective benefits that the community garden can reap for everyone, and the girls recognize that having a fun, inclusive celebration at the garden will allow their neighbors to get to know each other and the new garden space. At the party, they are rewarded for their efforts by the sense of acceptance and belonging that the neighborhood offers, fostered by their sense of gratitude and recognition of the family’s efforts and talents. The party also demonstrates how shared experiences can bring a community together in celebration and support.