Piper Reed

Piper Reed is a series of children's books written by Kimberly Willis Holt. The first book, Piper Reed, Navy Brat, was published in 2007. The story focuses on nine-year-old Piper Reed; a dyslexic Navy brat whose family has just been stationed in Pensacola, Florida, and it shows Piper's life with her sensitive, bossy, and slightly chubby older sister and her little sister, a five-year-old child prodigy. The books are illustrated by Christine Davenier.

Books
  1. Piper Reed, Navy Brat (2007) Nine-year-old Piper must adjust to her new life in Pensacola, Florida, after the family moves off base.
  2. Piper Reed, the Great Gypsy (alternative title: Piper Reed, Clubhouse Queen) (2008) Piper's Navy chief father sails off on the SS Julian, leaving his wife and daughters for six months. Piper has done a good job adjusting to Pensacola, and she's trying to teach her pet poodle, Bruna, tricks for the upcoming Gypsy Club Pet Show - that is, if training Bruna is even possible.
  3. Piper Reed Gets A Job (alternative title: Piper Reed, Party Planner (2009) Piper's Gypsy Club needs a clubhouse to hold their meetings in, so they try to raise money in order to be able to buy one.
  4. Piper Reed, Campfire Girl (2010) Piper and her family go camping - at Halloween with her club members.
  5. Piper Reed, Rodeo Star (2011) Piper faces a dull Christmas in Piney Woods with her grandparents until a rodeo comes along.

Characters

Piper Reed, A nine-year-old dyslexic Navy brat, the daughter of a Navy chief. Piper loves to draw and loves art class, but plans on becoming one of the Blue Angels when she grows up. Piper has a sensitive, slightly chubby older sister named Tori, and at times Tori's weight is the object of Piper's taunts. Piper also has a younger sister named Sam who is a child spelling bee prodigy who likes fish and owns a pet goldfish named Peaches (who died in the second book from being overfed, but Peaches was soon replaced by another goldfish named Peaches the Second). At times Piper can be rude, but is not a bad person. She goes on big adventures with her amazing family and is very spontaneous! In the end she gets close to her dad and sister Tori Reed...

Tori Reed, Piper's older sister, who has a love of food and snacks but is slightly chubby. Sometimes Piper uses Tori's weight as a way to get back at her by teasing her, and a few times before has called Tori fat (this basically was only mentioned and never really happened much in the books). Tori likes to write poetry and plans on becoming a poet one day and keeps a journal (which Piper sneaked a peek at in the second book and Sam took to read and accidentally left the journal at the bottom of the stairs, resulting in Mrs. Reed slipping on it and breaking her leg). Tori hates being a part of a Navy family and has a crush on a boy named Ronnie Cartwright.

Sam Reed, The baby of the Reed family, a five-year-old spelling bee prodigy with curly black hair and a love for fish. She also owns a pet goldfish named Peaches the Second (Peaches the First was accidentally killed by Sam, who overfed her, and after Peaches the First was replaced by Peaches the Second, Sam pasted Peaches the First's corpse in her memory box Mrs. Reed had all her daughters make). In the first spelling bee she won, Sam received a plastic tiara for a prize and wanted to wear it everywhere, until the children at her new school in Pensacola made fun of the tiara, and Sam stopped wearing it as often, but had the angel on the Christmas tree that the Reeds had in the spaceship-like beach house they were staying in have a crown instead of a halo. Sam has a doll named Annie, who she cannot sleep without.

Edie Reed, The mother of Piper, Tori, and Sam and wife of Carl, the father of Piper, Tori, and Sam. Edie, like Piper, takes an interest in art and became Piper's school art teacher after the original art teacher quit her job after giving birth so she could take care of the baby. In college, Edie had an art teacher named Swoosie, who she and all of her daughters went to visit in New Orleans in the second book. Also, in art class, Edie went by the name of Coco Kappel because she wanted to be "exotic." In the second book, Edie broke her leg after slipping and falling on Tori's journal, which Sam had left at the bottom of the stairs by accident, and Piper's grandmother and Uncle Leo came to take care of Edie while her leg was healing.

Carl Reed, Edie's husband and Piper, Sam, and Tori's father, a Navy chief. Piper calls her father "Chief" but Sam and Tori call him "Dad" and "Daddy." He loves his girls and wife, and leaves for six months in the second book.

Nicole and Michael, Two twins who are Piper's friends and part of the Gypsy Club. Nicole has many allergies and is allergic to many things, which aggravates Michael. Michael owns a pet guinea pig named "Tippy Toes" due to the fact that Nicole is allergic to dogs and he cannot have one, and Nicole has a cat named Shelby, who shares a rivalry with Haley's dog Buttercup. Like Piper, Nicole and Michael are both Navy brats, and their mother sailed off on the same ship as Piper's father.

Haley, Piper's other friend, and another member of the Gypsy Club. Haley owns a dog named Buttercup who resembles a cat, who resents Shelby, Nicole's cat.

Ms. Mitchell, Piper's reading teacher, who helps Piper out during reading lessons in a small room away from Piper's classroom. She once offered Piper some Blue Angels stickers if she could read all of the books that Ms. Mitchell assigned her, and Piper earned the stickers, but needed to read all of the books on a summer reading list Ms. Mitchell assigned her after Piper read all of the other books and earned the stickers.

Ms. Gordon, Piper's schoolteacher, known for her quavering eyebrow whenever she is near Piper. She is allergic to pepper and had an allergic reaction to it when Piper's Uncle Leo demonstrated his hummingbird-attracting hat, which sprays pepper.

Grandma Morris, Piper's maternal grandmother, who came to visit in the second book when Edie broke her leg along with Piper's Uncle Leo. Little is known about her.

Uncle Leo, Piper's uncle, a hummingbird expert who teaches college students about hummingbirds and has a homemade hat which is designed to attract hummingbirds that can squirt nectar. Piper brought him in for Show-and-Tell to teach the students about hummingbirds, and squirted nectar from his hat at the end of the demonstration, causing Ms. Gordon, Piper's teacher, to have an allergic reaction to pepper.

Yolanda and Abe, Two neighbors who moved in at the beginning of the second book. They have a two-year-old son named Brady. Yolanda has a bigger role in the series than Abe, and was the one who watched the pets when the Reeds were in New Orleans and took Edie to the hospital when she broke her leg.

Brady, Yolanda and Abe's two-year-old son who often fibs a little about his age and says he is three years old instead of two. He finally celebrated his third birthday in the third book, when Piper wanted to be paid to help throw a birthday party for him. Brady is the only one who can teach Bruna, the Reed family's pet poodle, tricks.

Swoosie, Edie's college art teacher, who Edie, Piper, Tori, and Sam went to visit in the second book. Swoosie enjoys painting, and little is known about her, except for that she lives in the French Quarter and has flaming red hair.

Mr. Sanchez, The owner of the pet store that Sam bought Peaches the Second at. He hosted the Gypsy Club Pet Show.

See also
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