Nothing ever happened in the Conroy family, and when something finally does, the four sisters, Ruth, Naomi, Rachel, and Phoebe, are sent where they can't disrupt their parents' plans--to their grandmother's for the summer. Big Grandma gives orders like a drill sargeant. But by summer's end, the girls and Big Grandma have come to a new understanding.
The four Conroy sisters spend a wild summer at the seaside with Big Grandma, who tries to break them of their reading ...
Nothing ever happened in the Conroy family, and when something finally does, the four sisters, Ruth, Naomi, Rachel, and Phoebe, are sent where they can't disrupt their parents' plans--to their grandmother's for the summer. Big Grandma gives orders like a drill sargeant. But by summer's end, the girls and Big Grandma have come to a new understanding.
The four Conroy sisters spend a wild summer at the seaside with Big Grandma, who tries to break them of their reading habit by substituting fresh air and hard work for books and gets unexpected results.
PW compared this uproarious first novel, about four unruly girls "exiled" to the country with their no-nonsense grandmother, to the writings of Beverly Cleary and Lois Lowry. Ages 9-12. (May)
School Library Journal
Gr 4-6-- This episodic tale of four eccentric sisters and their grandmother has potential, but it is never totally realized. The characters are not fully fleshed out; nor are their dealings with one another completely drawn. Set in England's Lincolnshire and Cumbria, the story follows the girls' summer with their grandmother, who is not a favorite relative of theirs. The feeling is mutual. Big Grandma, as the girls call her, considers her granddaughters spoiled and believes they experience life only through reading. They are horrified to find almost no books in her house except for some cookbooks and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare . Big Grandma wants them to discover nature and adventure firsthand and, little by little, they do. Predictably, the summer improves the relationships all around. A clear picture of the woman's attitude about the girls is missing, as is an explanation as to why their Uncle Robert ran away from home. Her reactions to Naomi's broken arm and a fire the children accidentally start seem understated. Although Big Grandma succeeds in her mission to change their perspective on life, a more satisfying selection that depicts the influence of the elderly on the young is Paula Fox's The Stone-Faced Boy (Bradbury, 1982). --Renee Steinberg, Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ
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Overview
The four Conroy sisters spend a wild summer at the seaside with Big Grandma, who tries to break them of their reading ...