Quarter 2 Post 1B

Dear Sarah Dessen,
I am having a great time starting to read your book! In the first few pages of Just Listen, there seems to be a lot of emphasis on Annabel's family. Do you believe that family is very important? Annabel and her two sisters seem close, both age and relationship-wise. My brother and I are similair. We are 18 months apart and he is basically my best friend. Sometimes it seems that Annabel and her sisters don't get along, but in the end, they care very much for eachother.
"'That's my sister,' Kirsten said, pointing at me, 'and you were just a total bitch to her'"(p. 14). Annabel describes her sister as the dramatic, loud one of the family, however when Annabel didn't have the guts to stand up for herself, her sister stepped in and helped her.
Also, your characters go against a lot of the stereotypes I have heard of. I've heard that the oldest child in a family is the quiet leader, a thinker, and role model and that the younger children are more spontaneous and wild, 'doers'. Obviously this stereotype doesn't fit all families, one being Annabel's. The oldest, Kirsten, is loud and puts her feelings out there, while the middle child, Whitney, is quiet and reserved. Annabel, the youngest, is described as being the perfect mixture of the two.
"One opened, one closed. It was no wonder that the first image that came to my mind when I thought of either of my sisters was a door" (p.12). The open door is Kirsten and the closed door is Whitney. For people reading this, does your family fit the stereotype or are they more like Annabel's? Or completely different?