Pine Island Visitors
By Newbery Honor author Polly Horvath, comes a sequel to her popular middle-grade novel Pine Island Home about orphaned sisters who find a way to make a new family.
Fiona, Marlin, Natasha and Charlie McCready have been adopted by their unlikely guardian, Al, and finally settled into their new home on Pine Island in British Columbia. Fiona is struggling under the weight of trying to keep everything together, not to mention worrying about expenses, while Marlin tries to adjust to her new high school and faces rejections for her cookbook, Thirty Meals a Twelve-Year-Old Could Make and Did!. Natasha is still keeping to herself, but a new interest in the violin reveals hidden talents, while Charlie is dreaming of what kind of dog she would like.
It's been an adjustment, but they are loving being with each other and having Al next door. Then they receive a letter from Mrs. Witherspoon, who took care of them after their parents died, and she is coming to visit for three months — an inordinate amount of time for a houseguest. Accommodating a fifth person in the tiny house is hard enough, but to their horror, Mrs. Weatherspoon arrives with a companion: her childhood friend, Jo. Jo has opinions about everything — what they should eat, how they should behave — and she doesn't hesitate to express them. And sweet Mrs. Witherspoon seems to have fallen under her spell. When she and Jo announce that they are going to extend their stay even longer, Fiona and Marlin are beside themselves. Fiona hates rocking the boat, but she is going to have to find the courage to stand up to these grown-up bullies so she and her sisters can have the life they wish to lead.
Reviews
- ". . . what emerges is a compelling case for self-reliance, creativity, and kindness. Terrifically entertaining. Starred,Kirkus Reviews
Pine Island Visitors is a Kirkus Review Best Book of the Year
- "Horvath's prose is smooth and engaging (she excels at both comedy and pathos) and always respects children's inner lives. Contemporary yet classic, a fine addition to the family stories shelf." Booklist
- "Through steady, sober prose and the protagonists’ complex relationships, Horvath creates successfully strained situations, giving way to gratifying resolutions that offer a comforting reassurance that bad times don’t last forever."—Publishers Weekly
- "True to form, Horvath packs this sequel . . . with relatable incident, vivid dialogue, humor, and moments of profound reflection on the human condition."—The Horn Book
- These … allow Horvath to show off her ability to weave authentic wisdom and beautiful writing into a middle grade book. —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Here is the trailer for Pune Island Visitors: