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samiwise's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
possibilityleft's review
3.0
I have my mom's original copy of this from the 70s. It's kind of falling apart, but from what I remember, it was a decent book.
ejimenez's review
3.0
Hilarious, and delightful in retrospect, because I know from my grandmother's stories that she was definitely a baby-borrower, just like the resourceful protagonists of this 1930s adventure novel. (It was evidently a thing in the 30s, at least in New York City, for young girls to take their neighbors' children on walks around the block for fun and zero profit.)
I don't know that adults who don't have fond memories of this one from childhood will get much out of it, but I think kids would still find it fun and funny. Warning for some time-period typical discussion of indigenous peoples as "savitches" (savages) and potential cannibals from the perspective of naive middle-class American children.
I don't know that adults who don't have fond memories of this one from childhood will get much out of it, but I think kids would still find it fun and funny. Warning for some time-period typical discussion of indigenous peoples as "savitches" (savages) and potential cannibals from the perspective of naive middle-class American children.
chrismd00's review
3.0
One of my first kids books. Found it in my daughter’s shelf. I only estimate I may have read it in 1985, Didn’t know it was published in the 30s
sar_19's review
3.0
I loved this book when I was 10 years old. I loved Mary rescuing all the babies and taking good care of them on a tropical island. The plot is a Shirley Temple movie. Gruff man softened and domesticated by innocent little girls. It still was sweet part Shirley Temple, part Swiss Family Robinson. Do I think kids today will enjoy it? Probably not, but oh so nostalgic.😊
letitiaharmon's review
4.0
Really loved this when I was a little girl and re-read several times. I always wanted to have some kind of adventure where I could prove my self-sufficiency the way that Mary Wallace does.
mimima's review against another edition
4.0
A few years ago, I found this book that I remember reading again and again at an Used Book Store. I grabbed it and then put it aside. While moving books around the other day, I picked it up and gave it a re-read.
The set up is delightfully odd, but ultimately it is as sweet as I remembered. What a great trip down memory lane.
The set up is delightfully odd, but ultimately it is as sweet as I remembered. What a great trip down memory lane.
storiesforhisglory's review against another edition
5.0
Adorable
This is such a cute, adorable story. I really enjoyed it the first time I read it, and it stood up to the test of rereading it after a lot of intervening years. So cute with the babies and Mary and Jean.
This is such a cute, adorable story. I really enjoyed it the first time I read it, and it stood up to the test of rereading it after a lot of intervening years. So cute with the babies and Mary and Jean.
readingonfordearlife's review
5.0
Well, this was a delightfully nostalgic read, full of 1930s American slang and lots of young heroine chutzpah. Here is the basic premise: 2 brave sisters, Mary and Jean (ages 12 and 10, respectively) are shipwrecked on a deserted island, with four babies in tow. Yes, it may be a simple plotline, but it makes for an entertaining story! Although this was written in the 1930s, it still appeals to young readers today. I read this book with four 4th and 5th grade girls, who selected it themselves as our first intramural book club pick. They all really enjoyed it, though we did all agree that it felt too old-fashioned at times and was a bit hard to relate to because of this. And I have to admit, I think this is more of a girl book than a boy book...that's not to say that boys might not enjoy the story, but I don't think they'd pick it out to read, as the protagonists are females and their main dilemma is how to care for four babies. Brink, also the author of [b:Caddie Woodlawn|205821|Caddie Woodlawn|Carol Ryrie Brink|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172676995s/205821.jpg|1231594], fills her pages with rich vocabulary and description, so this really is quality children's literature. All in all, this one is well-worth a read and was a nice selection for an upper elementary book club. I would recommend it for children (girls especially) ages 8 and up.