Eleven Kids, One Summer

by Ann M. Martin

Overview

Adventures of a family with eleven children as they summer on the beach at Fire Island.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545593618
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	04/30/2013
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
File size:	898 KB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

Editorial Reviews

Gr 3-5-- The signs of formulaic contemporary sit-com fiction are in abundance in this sequel to Ten Kids, No Pets (Holiday, 1988). The 11 Rosso children's summer at Fire Island is filled with so many choppy family happenings and so many people that only the surface is available to readers. Plot wins out over style, and sometimes the pace and content strain credibility. In oldest child Abigail's chapter, she sets out to meet people and literally bumps into two girls and a boy who is a movie star. ``The longer they talked, the more relaxed Abbie felt, and the more Justin really did seem like just a regular guy . . . She'd been on Fire Island for just two and a half hours, and already she'd made three friends. She belonged.'' Martin tucks in animal-rights issues and Lyme disease, a mystery, practical jokes, and a couple of bullies to make the summer complete. In spite of all these obstacles, the caring of the children for each other comes through, as does the love and good humor of their parents. But for a much better story about a large family who spends the summer on an island, try Gilbreth's Cheaper by the Dozen (Crowell, 1963), a true story about a Nantucket vacation a long time ago. --Carolyn Jenks, formerly at Oyster River Elementary School, Durham, NH

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