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matthewabush's review against another edition
5.0
This was a very enjoyable book that I shared with my seven year old daughter. We both really liked the characters; the Star children. I have to admit that I found myself just a little choked up when I was getting towards in the end of the book.
Highly recommended for students who are ready for middle grade books.
Highly recommended for students who are ready for middle grade books.
kate_brauning's review against another edition
4.0
A fun, charming read. It's younger YA, and filled with the bigger-than-her-age voice that makes Pride taking up the parenting role believable. The pacing was a bit slow, and I didn't enjoy it as much as I expected, but probably only because I prefer upper YA, and I've read a lot of teens-acting-as-parents lately. It's a thoroughly charming story.
hewbear13's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
victoria_08's review
3.5
I read this in middle school and didn't remember much about it, so I thought I would revisit it. I liked it. It wasn't anything really extraordinary, but it was a sweet story and I loved the writing
lazygal's review against another edition
2.0
So frustrating to read a book that has great potential, but just loses it. Pride, Nightingale and Baby (aka Kathleen, Elsie and Baxter) are orphans who have never known a normal home: first they lived on a commune, Serenity, with their parents, then they were 'in care' and for the past two years they've lived with Old Finn, their grandfather, on his farm, Eden. They've never gone to regular school, and their idiosyncrasies have been indulged by parents and grandfather. Then Old Finn gets sick - very sick - and their world starts to collapse.
So far, so good. Their struggle to keep anyone from finding out that they're home alone and to make ends meet was interesting. The problem comes from two points, the tension the author injects regarding keeping their secret from Thor, the doctor and Nash, and the Nixon resignation. With the former, there are moments when you just know that Thor has figured it out, or when you're sure that the doctor will call protective services to come ASAP, but that tension is handled so oddly that it never reaches the level of "I hope the kids make it!" Nash's appearance is a little scarier, but again it's muted in some ways by the attachment of Baby and Sage, his daughter. The Nixon resignation just felt wrong. I'm not sure why the author felt that this was so important that at times the action needed to stop to bring it in, unless she was really trying stress the "lies get you in trouble" theme (but today's students won't respond to Nixon the way my generation did).
ARC provided by publisher.
So far, so good. Their struggle to keep anyone from finding out that they're home alone and to make ends meet was interesting. The problem comes from two points, the tension the author injects regarding keeping their secret from Thor, the doctor and Nash, and the Nixon resignation. With the former, there are moments when you just know that Thor has figured it out, or when you're sure that the doctor will call protective services to come ASAP, but that tension is handled so oddly that it never reaches the level of "I hope the kids make it!" Nash's appearance is a little scarier, but again it's muted in some ways by the attachment of Baby and Sage, his daughter. The Nixon resignation just felt wrong. I'm not sure why the author felt that this was so important that at times the action needed to stop to bring it in, unless she was really trying stress the "lies get you in trouble" theme (but today's students won't respond to Nixon the way my generation did).
ARC provided by publisher.
givnuapeacesign's review against another edition
4.0
Set during the time period of the Watergate Trials and Nixon’s resignation, three orphaned siblings find themselves without a guardian once more when their grandfather, Old Finn, falls ill with encephalitis. Fiercely guarding his privacy, they strive to maintain their independence on their 40 acre farm, Eden. Yet as the money runs out and the foster system closes in, they must make it to the hospital in Duluth to ask Old Finn what to do. Filled with a sense of foreboding, this novel kept my stomach in knots.
tcbueti's review against another edition
5.0
Terrific story of three orphaned kids trying to make it without any adult help, when their grandfather and guardian "Old Finn" falls suddenly ill. The kids' early upbringing, and his distrust of authorities, have made them all very wary of strangers--if people know they are alone, will they be sent back into the foster system that they briefly hated before Old Finn took them in?
The kids try some amusing and only partly successful attempts to make money to buy food, and then to buy bus tickets to see Old Finn, who has been moved to a bigger hospital in the city. When they see him, they realize he's much sicker than they had thought, and that they need to try plan B--Justine.
Pride had found letters Old Finn's letters from Justine, written while she was traveling in France. Although they've never heard of her, she obviously loved him, but put her off when he adopted his grand-kids. Maybe, if she really loved him, she'd want to help?
There's a lot to think about here, about family histories, trust, honesty and secrets. The characters are wonderful and vivid, even Old Finn, who is barely physically present in the story! The family dynamics, while unusual, ring very true. Reminds me a bit of Hilary McKay's terrific Casson family stories in that way. And the moral dilemma Pride suffers reminds me of Barbara O'Connor's How to Steal a Dog: She knows it's wrong but her need to survive and keep her family safe makes her feel she has no choice, and once she starts lying, it's hard to stop.
The kids try some amusing and only partly successful attempts to make money to buy food, and then to buy bus tickets to see Old Finn, who has been moved to a bigger hospital in the city. When they see him, they realize he's much sicker than they had thought, and that they need to try plan B--Justine.
Pride had found letters Old Finn's letters from Justine, written while she was traveling in France. Although they've never heard of her, she obviously loved him, but put her off when he adopted his grand-kids. Maybe, if she really loved him, she'd want to help?
There's a lot to think about here, about family histories, trust, honesty and secrets. The characters are wonderful and vivid, even Old Finn, who is barely physically present in the story! The family dynamics, while unusual, ring very true. Reminds me a bit of Hilary McKay's terrific Casson family stories in that way. And the moral dilemma Pride suffers reminds me of Barbara O'Connor's How to Steal a Dog: She knows it's wrong but her need to survive and keep her family safe makes her feel she has no choice, and once she starts lying, it's hard to stop.
couillac's review
3.0
Sparrow Road was a title I loved last year, and this book has the same fluid writing and engaging characters. It's an easy, enjoyable read about a family on the margins that readers will love to root for. The children's voices are authentic and the adult characters are just as interesting as the kids. The Minnesota setting makes me very happy. In the end, the plot is predictable and neatly tied up, which is satisfying but a bit disappointing too. One of these years, O'Connor's going to write something that will be a strong Newbery contender, but not quite yet. In the meantime, her realistic fiction is still a joy to read.
lindzee's review
4.0
Pride's courage and strength was moving. I read through this one so fast, just hoping that there could be some happy ending.