Pine Island Visitors

by Polly Horvath

Overview

By the Newbery Honor author, Polly Horvath, comes a sequel to her popular 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.

Then they receive a letter from Mrs. Witherspoon who took care of them after their parents died telling them that 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 there must be a way to get rid of these grown-up bullies so she and her sisters can have the life they wish to lead.

A Kirkus Reviews' Best Middle Grade Book of the Year

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823452958
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	10/10/2023
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	498,519
Product dimensions:	5.74(w) x 8.52(h) x 0.99(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Polly Horvath has written many books for children including Everything on a Waffle, a Newbery Honor Book; The Canning Season, a National Book Award winner; and The Trolls, a National Book Award finalist. She lives in British Columbia with her family. Visit her at www.PollyHorvath.com.

Editorial Reviews

08/14/2023

In this character-focused sequel to Pine Island Home by Horvath, the orphaned McCready sisters have just begun adjusting to their life on British Columbia’s Pine Island with new guardian Al. Al mostly leaves Charlie, Fiona, Marlin, and Natasha to their own devices, and while the girls enjoy their independence and newfound security, each longs to move on from their past and build bright futures. Fifteen-year-old Fiona seeks to make things right with a boy she stood up the previous year; Marlin, 13, strives to become a published cookbook author; Natasha, 10, endeavors to learn how to play violin; and youngest child Charlie, eight, determinedly advocates for a dog. When the siblings’ first guardian, Mrs. Witherspoon, along with her bossy, ill-tempered childhood friend Jo, arrive for a three-month visit, the sisters struggle to navigate this change. Frequent clashes between Jo and the girls, especially after Jo and Mrs. Witherspoon extend their stay to start a church, prompt the McCready clan to drive out their unwanted guests. 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. Ages 9–12. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

★ 2023-08-11
Uninvited guests demand new survival skills from the McCready sisters in this follow-up to Pine Island Home (2020).

The school year is about to start when Mrs. Weatherspoon, who cared for the girls in Borneo after their parents’ death, comes to visit, upsetting the equilibrium. She arrives with another church lady, Jo Menzies, and everyone soon finds themselves towed along in Jo’s manipulative, overbearing wake. At 15, Fiona can’t relinquish the burden of being in charge of her family, shying away from their guardian Al’s willingness to pay for things. Thirteen-year-old Marlin has yet to realize her ambition to publish her cookbook. Ten-year-old Natasha’s contemplative approach to understanding the world manifests itself in a surprising way. And 8-year-old Charlie has an optimistic naïveté in the face of all this fierce independence. Jo is self-absorbed and almost comically evil in her disregard for everyone but herself. Horvath skewers those who try to wield power over others, using diet or religion or opinions as cudgels. As frustrated Fiona and Marlin find themselves feeling impotent rage, they also gain an understanding of what it means to be—and stand up for—oneself. Everyone presents as white. Horvath keeps the pace captivating in this domestic drama as she demonstrates that life’s ups and downs are inevitable. Neither certainty nor confirmation of beliefs is forthcoming—there are few comeuppances for bad behavior—but what emerges is a compelling case for self-reliance, creativity, and kindness.

Terrifically entertaining. (Fiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews

★ "Horvath keeps the pace captivating in this domestic drama as she demonstrates that life’s ups and downs are inevitable. . . . a compelling case for self-reliance, creativity, and kindness. Terrifically entertaining."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"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

"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

"A cozy read for fans of The Vanderbeekers and The Penderwicks . . ."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"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

From the Publisher