Ahhh, for those who long for more Little Women and wonder why don't they write like that anymore....here it is, a gentle story of a family on their summer vacation. Delight in the unique and charming personalities of the four girls and the equally charming personality of Jeffrey, the boy who lives in the BIG house on the property where they are spending their summer.
Meet four sisters, Batty, Jane, Skye and Rosalind, ages 4-12 and one hound named Hound . They have arrived in New England with their absent-minded father; mother has passed away, and each character is about to have a personal adventure. So, this is actually four stories circling through each other and held together by the warm and wonderful bond and love they share as one wonderful family.
This is not an action packed thriller. Instead it's a day by day evolving of thoughts and feelings and adventures of each girl. Each life has its questions, its hopes and its possibilities all waiting to be explored and answered and there lies the treasure. Savor a first love, a menacing bull in a field, a runaway, a writer and a boy destined for a military academy.
These are characters you would meet and like and there would be one that you could choose to be a truly great friend.
Together the girls are up against Jeffrey's snooty mother who has big plans for her son, and they don't include these four girls or his natural talent for music. Ta da...there it is. Enjoy!
This book is the recipient of the 2005 National Book Award for Youth Literature. Ages 8-12 270 pages 978-0440420477
Recommended by: Barb Langridge, abookandahug.com