An unmoored nine-year-old discovers his true self in the context of his new triplet sisters in the charming final early chapter book from beloved MacLachlan. An extended school research project Jacob bases on his newborn siblings he Trips" spires careful observations of their developmental milestones and personalities, which he records in notebook-style entries. Although he'd originally wished for puppies, the sisters bring him a sense of purpose and a happiness that makes Jacob feel as if his "life is truly beginning." Spot art and full-page illustrations by Miyares (Float, 2015) are inky and deeply shadowed but marked by warm affection. Precocious language and fairly sophisticated turns of phrase should make this nostalgic selection well suited for advanced readers or for reading aloud. Sticklers may note the novel requires a flexible suspension of disbelief around timing, particularly in regards to Jacob's school day and the triplets' developmental milestones. Potentially instructive for older siblings, this poignant posthumous publication by Newbery winner MacLachlan (Sarah, Plain and Tall) will surely find an eager audience.

This quiet chapter book is pure MacLachlan: lots of warmth and family love; a sensitive protagonist adapting to change; and spare, evocative prose that cuts to the heart of matters. Nine-year-old Jacob would rather have a puppy, but he has to make do with newborn triplets. His first impression of his sisters isn't positive, as he records in his notebook: "They're not pretty. They look like birds without feathers. Puppies are cuter." When he needs a topic to research for a school assignment, "A Litter of Trips -- from Birth On" is the obvious choice. In the beginning, the three babies seem the same ("They cry and eat, wet their diapers, and sleep"), but over time Jacob becomes aware of individual differences. As the "Trips" change, Jacob realizes that he's changing, too, and growing into his role as an older brother. His perceptive, sometimes funny notebook musings are interspersed throughout the story and set apart from the main narrative, giving independent readers a chance to pause. Miyares's lighthearted black-and-white illustrations, which match the text's gentle tone, serve the same purpose. MacLachlan keeps the first-person narrative tightly focused on Jacob and his life at home with the babies (with a few scenes in school and at the doctor's office); well-realized secondary characters add depth to the narrative.

New babies mean a big change for an older brother.Jacob is 9 years old when he and his parents welcome some new additions to their family-triplets! Jacob calls them the "Trips," although they of course each have their own name, and Mom dresses each in a different color to make it easier to tell them apart. Jacob wishes the family could have gotten a puppy instead. But one night, when his parents are too exhausted to wake up, one of the babies starts crying, and Jacob tends to her. It's Liz, the "most friendly" Trip. In the moonlight, she even smiles just for him-though he knows it might just be a reflex. So when Jacob's class is tasked with finding a topic for a research project, he chooses the Trips. As time passes, and the family hires an extra set of hands to help with the little ones, the Trips show more of their individual personalities. MacLachlan's calm, measured writing focuses on moments of everyday magic and charm, and Jacob's observational notes read almost like poetry. This family is loving and oh-so pleasant, often becoming emotional at the simple but significant beauty of the babies' growth milestones. Mimi, the hired nanny, is French, but there are no textual indicators of race; the occasional illustrations show most characters as light-skinned.Precious. (Fiction. 5-9)

An only child until the age of nine, Jacob Black views his solitary baby picture on the living room wall as “lonely” and wishes for a litter of puppies, like his friend Bella has. Instead, he gets a “litter of Trips,” as he affectionately calls his new baby sisters, triplets Charlotte, Katherine, and Elizabeth. Late Newbery Medalist MacLachlan’s slender, resonant novel traces Jacob’s adjustment to life as an older brother in his own calm and reasonable, often questioning, voice as well as in his documentation of the Trips’ growth (unnaturally swift—they crawl and drink juice out of sippy cups within months) for a school research project. MacLachlan’s understated language is effective and evocative, the characters consistently thoughtful and kind. The conflict-free story takes measured steps through Jacob’s small inner discoveries, his formation of a new identity as older sibling, and his growing relationships with each of his sisters. Miyares’s (Big and Small and In-Between) inky, sketchlike b&w art enhances the book’s tender tone. Characters present as racially ambiguous. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Rubin Pfeffer, Rubin Pfeffer Content. (Aug.)