"Going into the classroom the first time was
always the worst moment in a new school but
she found this one was friendly enough. School
wasn't going to be a problem, she decided.
Keeping friends at arm's length so they couldn't
discover the girl's situation without the
McCreadys appearing unfriendly was going to
be the hard part. But they could figure that out
as they went along. She was hopeful again that
this desperate plan might just work."
In the early years of my teaching, I taught kindergarten. Because I wanted my kids to know a love for books and stories, I chose one novel to read to them each year. The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner was first published in 1942. No, I wasn't teaching back then. It was, however, a book that appealed to me and was much loved by my young students. In fact, they often came back in later years to borrow it from me to read again. Who doesn't love a story of orphaned children making a life on their own?
Fast forward to recently. I have just finished our latest committee work, and am looking forward to reading something of my own choosing. Hidden in the depths of one of my TBR piles, I find this book. I have always been surprised and enchanted by Polly Horvath's books. How could I have taken so long to read this one?
It was the first chosen by me when our assigned reading was done. I read it that first day, and am now wanting to tell you about it. It is the story of four orphaned girls whose missionary parents are killed in a tsunami. After a long search for family to take them in, their great-aunt Martha agrees to their coming to her home on Pine Island. Fiona, Marlin, Natasha and Charlie (aged 14 to 8) are soon on their way. Upon arrival, they discover that Aunt Martha has died suddenly and left a house ready and arrangements made for their arrival.
They make the decision to move in on their own, and try to keep their situation secret. If they want to keep their family together, they will have to depend on Aunt Martha's grumpy neighbor, Al. He is difficult, drinks too much, and will only pretend to be their guardian as long as they provide beer money and home-cooked suppers. Marlin, a budding cook, is pleased to be helping in any way she can. The other sisters do what they do best to make a new life on Pine Island. Yet, they are always fearful.
Polly Horvath is brilliant at creating distinctive characters for readers to admire. Each sister has her own quirks and capabilities; the four work hard to protect themselves while also yearning for someone to step in and take care of them. Other characters are upstanding members of the community. The setting is most appealing, and their story will have readers wanting more. With humor and great appeal, this is a story of hope, persistence, and love of family (no matter who that family may be.)
And here's a surprise: Pine Island Visitors (Puffin, 2023) is at the very top of my next TBR pile! The reading begins tonight.
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