School Library Journal: Grade 3-6-In this first book in the series, the 12-year-old Callahan cousins all converge on their beloved grandmother for a summer of excitement. The gang consists of cheerful, upbeat, Kate; worldly, eccentric Neeve; ambitious, enthusiastic Hillary; and helpful, intellectual Phoebe. The 10-week visit gives the girls a great view of lovely Gull Island, where their family has been involved in a long-standing feud with the Bicket family. Hillary decides to continue the feud that had died down over the years, which results in a scary trip in a leaking boat. In the end, she is the one who actually brings about peace between the two families. This accessible, contemporary story features fun-loving cousins and their wise, thoughtful grandmother as they learn a great deal about their family and themselves. A good choice for fans of the "American Girls" series (Pleasant Co.).-Andrea Tarr, Corona Public Library, CA
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Booklist: Gr. 4-6. Think of it as "chicklit lite" as a quartet of 12-year-old cousins spend a summer with Grandma Gee on Gull Island off the New England coast. Neeve is the sophisticated one, Phoebe is bookish, Kate is a craft maven, but the first book in the Callahan Cousins series is told from the point-of-view of athletic Hillary, whose parents are getting divorced. Grandma's huge house has been in the family for generations, and there's never a lack of money. An old feud with another island family moves Hillary to learn to sail, motivate her cousins, and eventually, of course, "do the right thing" and get past her parents' separation. Feelings are described in diminutives ("a tiny bit upset"), there are a couple of cute boys, and the local culture includes lots of shopping and ice cream. Familiar series fare; unfortunately, the small typeface might turn off some readers. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright American Library Association. All rights reserve
Genre: Children's Fiction
Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Booklist: Gr. 4-6. Think of it as "chicklit lite" as a quartet of 12-year-old cousins spend a summer with Grandma Gee on Gull Island off the New England coast. Neeve is the sophisticated one, Phoebe is bookish, Kate is a craft maven, but the first book in the Callahan Cousins series is told from the point-of-view of athletic Hillary, whose parents are getting divorced. Grandma's huge house has been in the family for generations, and there's never a lack of money. An old feud with another island family moves Hillary to learn to sail, motivate her cousins, and eventually, of course, "do the right thing" and get past her parents' separation. Feelings are described in diminutives ("a tiny bit upset"), there are a couple of cute boys, and the local culture includes lots of shopping and ice cream. Familiar series fare; unfortunately, the small typeface might turn off some readers. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright American Library Association. All rights reserve
Genre: Children's Fiction
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