SOLVED. Children’s/ Middle Grade chapter book. Two orphaned sisters have to go to boarding school owned by mean aunt? (Or parents are missing?) Contemporary. Read around 2009-2010. [s]

[Imogen]

There were two sisters (I think the oldest was about 11-14 and the youngest about 7-9?). Their parents died (/went missing?) and they had to go to boarding school - I think the boarding school was owned by their auntie or something? That or they were in her custody somehow. The auntie was nasty and didn’t like them iirc. I think they escaped the school eventually but I can’t remember how or why or where they ended up - I had a feeling it had a sort of open ending and that may have been sequels that I didn’t read. I think it was narrated in first person by the older sister but it COULD have been third person closed or something. And it was set in the modern era, maybe 2000s.

Oh and I can remember one scene where the younger sister drank a slushie or a milkshake or something and threw it up everywhere.

I read it when I was in year 6 (British 5th grade equivalent) and it was on our class bookshelf so it’s no newer than 2009/2010, possibly a few years older than that. It had a pink cover.

This has been bugging me for years so any ideas are helpful!

[Kris]

Imogen, do the sisters get along with the other students?

What's the location/country?

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[Rainbowheart]

Nancy and Plum?

[Imogen]

Thank you for the help with the title.

I’m not sure exactly where the book was set - I’d assume the UK or the US, which I know doesn’t narrow it down terribly, but I’m pretty sure I would have remembered if it were set anywhere else (like most British kids I grew up on British and American literature almost equally).

It’s definitely not Nancy and Plum - I’m pretty sure it was set around the 2000s. The plot sounds very similar though so I wouldn’t be surprised if it could have been a retelling or something?

I can’t remember if they got on with the other kids or not that well (I’m also aware that I read ASOUE 5 around the same time and I don’t want to mix them up). But I do think there might have been a spoilt girl who was mean to them or something. In general I remember the narrator/older sister being fairly sardonic and unhappy with everyone.

[Rainbowheart]

Pink Chameleon?

[Imogen]

YES! That's it! Thank you so much.

[Rainbowheart]

Awesome, glad to help out!