ISBN 0590483528 - I made the mistake of reading reviews before I read the book - and half of them seem to refer to things that didn't happen! Michael's little sister doesn't threaten his life, the bird doesn't attack Michael and the shopkeeper doesn't tell a scary story about the clock.
Michael is 12, big brother to seven-year-old Tara, a top contender for "Worst Little Sister in the World". He gets blamed for everything she does, and that's no accident! Tara sets him up, over and over, even ruining his birthday and embarrassing him in front of his friends. When their father brings home an antique cuckoo clock that Tara can hardly keep her hands off, Michael sees a chance to get even. Twisting the head of the cuckoo to face backwards, Michael is sure Tara will be blamed. That doesn't happen, because when he wakes up, it's his 12th birthday - again! - and they don't even own the clock yet. Michael needs to turn time around again before it's too late (or early...) for him!
Stine's horror story for kids is too funny to be horror this time, but it's worth reading anyway. You'll appreciate your own siblings a little more - unless they're worse than Tara, which is hard to imagine.
- AnnaLovesBooks