alinaborger's review against another edition
5.0
My kids and I started looking for excuses to drive so we could listen to more of this delightful book!
snazel's review against another edition
5.0
Better than the first, and the first was fantastic. Includes the mystery of What Is Going To Happen To Our Fave Beach, and new friends, and a Cat the youngest Fletcher is determined to teach how to swim. (It goes surprisingly better than you'd think, and then amazing.)
yapha's review against another edition
4.0
The fabulous Fletchers are back, this time spending the month of August at their family summer home on Rock Island. The boys have been looking forward to the summer, but as soon as they get there they find that there are many changes. The lighthouse next door, which they think of as their own, has a fence around it with a Do Not Enter sign. The usually empty house next door has a family living in it. Nothing feels quite right. As the summer progresses, they find their way, each with changes of their own. A perfect book for summer -- or in the middle of the winter when the summer feels so far away... Recommended for fans of the first book and the Penderwicks, grades 3 & up.
Kudos to Ms. Levy for the way she tackles issues of race and racism in the book! It is not a major plot point, but an important one that was worth addressing.
Kudos to Ms. Levy for the way she tackles issues of race and racism in the book! It is not a major plot point, but an important one that was worth addressing.
abigailbat's review against another edition
4.0
A really solid sequel about a loveable family. In this volume, the Family Fletcher spends August at their beloved vacation home on Rock Island, Maine. Although the boys look forward to doing the same summer things they always do, some things have changed on the island. Notably, the abandoned lighthouse next door has been fenced off and is being sold to a suspicious artist who claims that he was injured while inside the lighthouse. Can the Fletchers figure out what's going on and save the lighthouse they love so much?
Frog tries to teach their cats to swim, Eli faces his fear of kayaking, Jax makes a new friend to play soccer with, and Sam joins the cast of A Midsummer Night's Dream in this pitch perfect summer romp.
Shove this into the hands of every Penderwicks fan you know!
Frog tries to teach their cats to swim, Eli faces his fear of kayaking, Jax makes a new friend to play soccer with, and Sam joins the cast of A Midsummer Night's Dream in this pitch perfect summer romp.
Shove this into the hands of every Penderwicks fan you know!
ethancf's review against another edition
4.0
Fun, if a bit slower and less engaging than the first (though I will note that this actually perfectly captures the feel of summer during childhood. It seems to stretch on forever, and then suddenly without warning, it's done). Primary quality of this series seems to be authenticity: the characters not all being cishet/white never feels like its pushing an agenda, it just is natural and totally normal. Now this is obviously done purposefully, but I'm all for the message of diversity here and Levy pulls it off in a very positive and organic way; the method of delivery with the Fletcher parents being different from their kids goes a long way in making this not feel forced. It's never preachy even if it does preach - and if you throw out all the political stuff (which you know the target audience is going to), then this is just a cute and fun family story.
Long live the Family Fletcher.
Long live the Family Fletcher.
jshettel's review against another edition
5.0
Join the Fletcher family as Papa, Dad, Jax, Sam, Eli, and Frog return to their favorite summer vacation spot - Rock Island. I loved this summer story of a diverse family and the joy of revisiting old traditions while creating new ones as well. Also they try to teach the cat to swim, so that is hilarious.
staceym's review against another edition
5.0
I think I liked this more than the first one and I liked that one a lot. Has some great topics to talk with kids about. Recommend!!
backonthealex's review against another edition
4.0
If you have already read the first book, The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher, then you are familiar with the make-up of this wonderfully diverse family. If not, let me introduce you. There is white, gentile Dad, white, Jewish Papa, blond, white Sam, 13, white Eli,11, African American Jax, 11, and Indian American Froggie, 6.
Now, it's August and that means it's time for the Family Fletcher to go on vacation. Fitting four (adopted) boys, one dog, two cats and two dads into their small cottage on Rock Island isn't easy, but luckily there has always been the vacant lighthouse next door in which the boys can play and even have sleepovers. Everyone is pretty excited about their month long vacation and, for all the boys, part of the beauty of Rock Island is that everything is always wonderfully, traditionally the same - that is, until this year.
First, the boys discover that the lighthouse is off limits, surrounded by a giant chain link fence, and on further exploration, a sign that reads For Sale: Contact Town Clerk. Not only is it now off-limits, but there is the possibility that the lighthouse may have to be demolished if it is found unsafe. And then they discover that the family who owns the house next door, the Galindo-Greens, are actually vacationing there this summer. At first, they seem to be pretty annoying, but when their visiting friend Janie leaves, all that changes. Val Galindo is around Sam's age and is obsessed with making videos, filming everything going on around her. Alex Galindo is not only the same age Jax, but likes to do the same kinds of things he does, and it doesn't take long for them to become fast friends.
And then there is the artist Chase Kark, who has plans to buy the lighthouse, and who carries an easel everywhere he goes, but who has never been seen painting. It doesn't take long for the Fletcher/Galindo kids to wonder what's up with him and why he wants to buy the lighthouse so badly, and so they do exactly what I would have done at that age - they follow him and make some surprising discoveries.
Meanwhile, Sam, is once again bitten by the acting bug and finds himself in a production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Eli is told that if he can overcome his fear of kayaking, he can name the baby seal that was rescued after her mother deserted her. And Frog is just beside himself with excitement after finding out that there is now an ice cream truck that drives up and down the streets of Rock Island - no more having riving into town for it.
As much as I anticipated it, I was afraid that the sequel would fall short, but in the case of The Family Fletcher Takes Rock Island, Levy has managed to maintain her character's individual personalities throughout, giving the reader a sense a continuity even as they grow and change.
I've spent almost every summer of my life on beaches - from Jones Beach to Rockaway Beach to Coney Island and the Jersey Shore and I could practically smell the salt air, hear the sea gulls cry and taste the ice cream reading The Family Fletcher Takes Rock Island. I thought Levy really did a spot on job of creating the Rock Island setting and that glorious feeling of waking up mornings at the beach (despite all the sand that gets everywhere), feeling that I know I share with the Fletcher boys.
And even though the mystery of the lighthouse and its future takes center stage in this novel, it doesn't overwhelm the wonderful chronicle of the family Fletcher's vacation and all the endearing everyday things that happen. The Fletchers are well-known and well-liked by almost everyone on the island and for the most part, the boys have the freedom to roam around, have fun and just be who they are.
For the most part, that is, until African American Jax and Latina Alex are profiled and accused of trying to steal the wallet of Kark's business associate. Jax is understandably very upset by the accusation and it's implication, leading to a serious talk with Papa about race and racists, handled sensitively by Levy. And while Levy doesn't really go into the Fletcher's diverse backgrounds as much in this novel as in her first one, I think she makes a very compelling point here about judging people by the color of their skin and the psychological damage it can cause.
And though the novel has its serious moments, there's also lots of gentle action and humor as well making this a book I highly recommend - it makes for especially wonderful summer reading.
This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL
This review was originally posted at Randomly Reading
Now, it's August and that means it's time for the Family Fletcher to go on vacation. Fitting four (adopted) boys, one dog, two cats and two dads into their small cottage on Rock Island isn't easy, but luckily there has always been the vacant lighthouse next door in which the boys can play and even have sleepovers. Everyone is pretty excited about their month long vacation and, for all the boys, part of the beauty of Rock Island is that everything is always wonderfully, traditionally the same - that is, until this year.
First, the boys discover that the lighthouse is off limits, surrounded by a giant chain link fence, and on further exploration, a sign that reads For Sale: Contact Town Clerk. Not only is it now off-limits, but there is the possibility that the lighthouse may have to be demolished if it is found unsafe. And then they discover that the family who owns the house next door, the Galindo-Greens, are actually vacationing there this summer. At first, they seem to be pretty annoying, but when their visiting friend Janie leaves, all that changes. Val Galindo is around Sam's age and is obsessed with making videos, filming everything going on around her. Alex Galindo is not only the same age Jax, but likes to do the same kinds of things he does, and it doesn't take long for them to become fast friends.
And then there is the artist Chase Kark, who has plans to buy the lighthouse, and who carries an easel everywhere he goes, but who has never been seen painting. It doesn't take long for the Fletcher/Galindo kids to wonder what's up with him and why he wants to buy the lighthouse so badly, and so they do exactly what I would have done at that age - they follow him and make some surprising discoveries.
Meanwhile, Sam, is once again bitten by the acting bug and finds himself in a production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Eli is told that if he can overcome his fear of kayaking, he can name the baby seal that was rescued after her mother deserted her. And Frog is just beside himself with excitement after finding out that there is now an ice cream truck that drives up and down the streets of Rock Island - no more having riving into town for it.
As much as I anticipated it, I was afraid that the sequel would fall short, but in the case of The Family Fletcher Takes Rock Island, Levy has managed to maintain her character's individual personalities throughout, giving the reader a sense a continuity even as they grow and change.
I've spent almost every summer of my life on beaches - from Jones Beach to Rockaway Beach to Coney Island and the Jersey Shore and I could practically smell the salt air, hear the sea gulls cry and taste the ice cream reading The Family Fletcher Takes Rock Island. I thought Levy really did a spot on job of creating the Rock Island setting and that glorious feeling of waking up mornings at the beach (despite all the sand that gets everywhere), feeling that I know I share with the Fletcher boys.
And even though the mystery of the lighthouse and its future takes center stage in this novel, it doesn't overwhelm the wonderful chronicle of the family Fletcher's vacation and all the endearing everyday things that happen. The Fletchers are well-known and well-liked by almost everyone on the island and for the most part, the boys have the freedom to roam around, have fun and just be who they are.
For the most part, that is, until African American Jax and Latina Alex are profiled and accused of trying to steal the wallet of Kark's business associate. Jax is understandably very upset by the accusation and it's implication, leading to a serious talk with Papa about race and racists, handled sensitively by Levy. And while Levy doesn't really go into the Fletcher's diverse backgrounds as much in this novel as in her first one, I think she makes a very compelling point here about judging people by the color of their skin and the psychological damage it can cause.
And though the novel has its serious moments, there's also lots of gentle action and humor as well making this a book I highly recommend - it makes for especially wonderful summer reading.
This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL
This review was originally posted at Randomly Reading
kidlitluv's review against another edition
5.0
I adore the Family Fletcher - the dads, the boys, and the pets. While this book is mostly a gentle, very funny story of the misadventures of a family with four adopted boys, the author doesn't shy away from some of the issues that may arise when two white dads adopt nonwhite kids. These issues are by no means the focus of the book. They are just one part of the Fletchers' story, which is a story filled with love, laughter, occasional grumpiness, and the wacky misadventures of a very close family. I find myself hoping for more Fletcher books because I would gladly spend more time with this delightful family.