Siblings are underrated. They provide our earliest lessons on how to conduct friendships and how to resolve conflicts. They serve as both role models and as cautionary tales. And they’re fixtures in our lives longer than our parents, spouses and children. In “The Sibling Effect: What the Bonds Among Brothers and Sisters Reveal About Us,” Time magazine science writer Jeffrey Kluger makes the convincing argument that this often overlooked relationship deserves better understanding and appreciation.

With an eminently readable and engaging style, Kluger delves into research on birth order, favoritism, squabbling, singletons, multiples and more. His attention to nuance and to pointing out weaknesses in various studies gives his credibility a boost over authors with a more evangelistic agenda.