Billy Miller’s little sister, Sal, gets her day and her own book in this delightful stand-alone companion to the Billy Miller novels. At four, Sal is adjusting to a new baby sister, just over a week old and as yet unnamed; her visiting uncle, who sometimes teases; and the loss of part of her favorite Christmas present: the pair of her day-of-the-week underpants embroidered with a poppy flower and the word “Poppy” (the Wednesday pair). Set over a single day during the winter holidays, this story is beautifully grounded in Sal’s perspective. Her hunt for the underpants, and her surprising discovery of where they are, leads to her longing to share the news with Mama or Papa only—not Billy or Uncle Jack, who might tease her. But with a new baby around, it’s hard to get time alone with them, especially Mama. With the dough for their homemade-pizza dinner taking forever to rise, Sal decides to write a letter to Mama while she waits. “This was going to be harder than Sal had thought. She knew the alphabet. She could spell her own name. She could spell Mama and Papa … But she didn’t know how to spell certain words that would be important for her letter.” Entertaining, insightful, and full of vivid emotions, delightful surprises, and honest family dynamics, this perfect read-aloud story will also enchant young independent readers.  (Ages 4-8)

“Delightfully superb.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Henkes is a master.”—The Horn Book (starred review)

“Captivating. ”—Booklist (starred review)

A stand-alone companion to two-time Newbery Honor author Kevin Henkes’s award-winning, bestselling, and acclaimed The Year of Billy Miller and Billy Miller Makes a Wish. This short, humorous, and accessible novel for newly independent readers stars Billy’s younger sister, Sal, and chronicles an eventful holiday season at the Miller house.

Oh, Sal is illustrated in black-and-white throughout by the author, and is perfect for fans of Ramona, Ivy + Bean, and Dory Fantasmagory.

The Miller family is celebrating its first holiday with the new baby. Billy is excited that Uncle Jake is visiting, but nothing about this holiday season is making Billy’s little sister Sal happy. The baby is a noisy nuisance and hogging all of Mama’s attention. Plus, the baby doesn’t even have a name yet. To make matters worse, Sal lost the very best gift that Santa gave her!

Will Sal find her present? Will the Millers find a name for the baby? Will Billy always be an annoying big brother?

The holiday season (and life with the Millers) is full of surprises—and warmth, kindness, family, celebration, and love—in the hands of award-winning author Kevin Henkes. Illustrated throughout with black-and-white art by the author, Oh, Sal is an excellent choice for early elementary grades, as well as a terrific family and classroom read-aloud for any time of the year.

A stand-alone companion to The Year of Billy Miller (a Newbery Honor Book) and Billy Miller Makes a Wish.