Scan barcode
megmro's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Several friends rated this three stars, but I absolutely loved this! Five enthusiastic stars.
A single-dad family of girls take a three-week vacation to a cabin on the grounds of a mansion in Massachusetts. The mansion comes with a cute, older-teenage groundskeeper named Cagney, a kind grandmotherly cook named Mrs. Churchill ("Churchie"), and a same-age boy named Jeffrey. Oh, and Jeffrey's snooty, strict, unfriendly mother. Lots of hijinks ensue.
The four-sisters-dynamic was really fun, and brought to mind Little Women, Boxcar Children, Pride and Prejudice, and All-of-a-Kind Family. The summer vacation adventure felt like classic movies such as The Baby-sitters Club (1995), Summer Magic (1963), and Parent Trap (1961).
The oldest sister is twelve, and since the mother is dead, she takes on a motherly role. The girls are very independent, and look after their youngest sister Batty. The only content warning is that the second oldest, Skye, is pretty pessimistic and crabby. She grows on you, but she definitely uses words like "moron," "idiot," and "stupid." Some of it is meant to be funny; there's a point where they overhear Jeffrey's mean mom saying that she thinks Batty is strange and slow. On the way home, both the girls are very upset. Batty asks Skye if it's true. Skye stops and looks into Batty's eyes and vehemently says,“No, you stupid idiot, there's nothing wrong with you. You're perfect.” It actually makes Batty feel much better, but you might want to address the insults before handing the book to your kids. Also, it's worth noting that it is part of Skye's character development. She begins to really try to control her temper.
There are some really funny parts, and the writing is great. Some of the quotes that had me chuckling:
And I don't know if Batty's gotten over it yet,' said Skye. Mr. Penderwick looked out the window to where Batty was playing vampires with Hound. Hound was on his back, trying to wiggle out of the black towel Batty had tied around his neck. Batty was leaping over Hound's water bowl, shrieking, 'Blood, blood!' 'She looks all right,' he said.
“The cuter the boy, the mushier your brain.” (Also, don't worry about the boy-crush element. Rosalind (oldest) comes to the conclusion that she is too young for boys right now.)
“Don’t kill her now, just when we’ve gone to all that trouble to rescue her,” said Jeffrey.
“We need to find a helicopter that can airlift us out of here,” said Skye. “And keep your stupid wings to yourself!” She was talking to Batty, who, as always, was wearing her beloved orang-and-black butterfly wings.
“They’re not stupid.” Said Batty.
“Woof,” said Hound from his place among the boxes and suitcases in the very back of the car. He took Batty’s side in every discussion
Jane (third sister) is an aspiring writer, and has a book about an adventurous heroine named Sabrina Starr. Whenever the sisters are in some sort of mess, or having an adventure, she constantly narrates something about what Sabrina Starr would do, and it's hilarious. "Lost and weary, the brave explorers and their faithful beast argued among themselves. Only Sabrina Starr remained calm," said Jane.
Mr. Penderwick pulled over and Rosalind got out of the car. She now saw that the truck had TOMATOES painted in large letters on each of its doors. Next to the truck was a wooden table piled high with fat red tomatoes and, behind the table, an old man wearing worn blue jeans and a green shirt with Harry's Tomatoes embroidered across the pocket.
"Tomatoes?" he asked.
"Ask if they're magic tomatoes," Rosalind heard. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Skye hauling Jane back in through the car window.
The sister interactions were SO funny, and truly relatable. Aside from Skye's temper, this was totally clean and perfect for all readers. Older readers would probably get the jokes better that their younger counterparts.
I would suggest grade 6 and up, not because of reading level or worrisome content, but just interest in the topic.
A single-dad family of girls take a three-week vacation to a cabin on the grounds of a mansion in Massachusetts. The mansion comes with a cute, older-teenage groundskeeper named Cagney, a kind grandmotherly cook named Mrs. Churchill ("Churchie"), and a same-age boy named Jeffrey. Oh, and Jeffrey's snooty, strict, unfriendly mother. Lots of hijinks ensue.
The four-sisters-dynamic was really fun, and brought to mind Little Women, Boxcar Children, Pride and Prejudice, and All-of-a-Kind Family. The summer vacation adventure felt like classic movies such as The Baby-sitters Club (1995), Summer Magic (1963), and Parent Trap (1961).
The oldest sister is twelve, and since the mother is dead, she takes on a motherly role. The girls are very independent, and look after their youngest sister Batty. The only content warning is that the second oldest, Skye, is pretty pessimistic and crabby. She grows on you, but she definitely uses words like "moron," "idiot," and "stupid." Some of it is meant to be funny; there's a point where they overhear Jeffrey's mean mom saying that she thinks Batty is strange and slow. On the way home, both the girls are very upset. Batty asks Skye if it's true. Skye stops and looks into Batty's eyes and vehemently says,“No, you stupid idiot, there's nothing wrong with you. You're perfect.” It actually makes Batty feel much better, but you might want to address the insults before handing the book to your kids. Also, it's worth noting that it is part of Skye's character development. She begins to really try to control her temper.
There are some really funny parts, and the writing is great. Some of the quotes that had me chuckling:
And I don't know if Batty's gotten over it yet,' said Skye. Mr. Penderwick looked out the window to where Batty was playing vampires with Hound. Hound was on his back, trying to wiggle out of the black towel Batty had tied around his neck. Batty was leaping over Hound's water bowl, shrieking, 'Blood, blood!' 'She looks all right,' he said.
“The cuter the boy, the mushier your brain.” (Also, don't worry about the boy-crush element. Rosalind (oldest) comes to the conclusion that she is too young for boys right now.)
“Don’t kill her now, just when we’ve gone to all that trouble to rescue her,” said Jeffrey.
“We need to find a helicopter that can airlift us out of here,” said Skye. “And keep your stupid wings to yourself!” She was talking to Batty, who, as always, was wearing her beloved orang-and-black butterfly wings.
“They’re not stupid.” Said Batty.
“Woof,” said Hound from his place among the boxes and suitcases in the very back of the car. He took Batty’s side in every discussion
Jane (third sister) is an aspiring writer, and has a book about an adventurous heroine named Sabrina Starr. Whenever the sisters are in some sort of mess, or having an adventure, she constantly narrates something about what Sabrina Starr would do, and it's hilarious. "Lost and weary, the brave explorers and their faithful beast argued among themselves. Only Sabrina Starr remained calm," said Jane.
Mr. Penderwick pulled over and Rosalind got out of the car. She now saw that the truck had TOMATOES painted in large letters on each of its doors. Next to the truck was a wooden table piled high with fat red tomatoes and, behind the table, an old man wearing worn blue jeans and a green shirt with Harry's Tomatoes embroidered across the pocket.
"Tomatoes?" he asked.
"Ask if they're magic tomatoes," Rosalind heard. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Skye hauling Jane back in through the car window.
The sister interactions were SO funny, and truly relatable. Aside from Skye's temper, this was totally clean and perfect for all readers. Older readers would probably get the jokes better that their younger counterparts.
I would suggest grade 6 and up, not because of reading level or worrisome content, but just interest in the topic.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer and Death of parent
More...