Pine Island Home

When a tsunami carries off the hotel that their parents had been staying in, the four McCready sisters find themselves orphans. As the children of missionaries, they had spent their childhoods traversing the world, but now they must find a home, one which will accommodate four girls ranging in age from 8 to 14. Ultimately their great-aunt Martha agrees to take them in. However, when the girls arrive at their new home in a small village near St. Mary’s by the Sea in British Columbia, they learn that Martha has died. It turns out that she has also left everything to them, including her lovely seaside home which had been well-prepared for their arrival.

Fiona, the eldest sister, terrified of their ending up in the clutches of social services who, she feels certain, will separate the four of them, comes up with a plan to keep them all together. They will live in great-aunt Martha’s house and look after each other, and they will recruit the assistance of their nearest neighbor to pretend to be their adult guardian whenever they have need of one. Unfortunately, this neighbor turns out to be surly Al Farber who lives in a dirty and dilapidated trailer and hates children (“horrible jam-handed sticky things”). But with no other options, Fiona bribes him with beer money and a hot dinner every night. Thus the four sisters embark on their new lives.

Despite the occasional hitch in their plan, the girls manage reasonably well on their own. Marlin discovers that she loves to cook…and that she is extremely good at it. Natasha loves to go off in search of birds, and young Charlie begins to let go of some of her fears and also strikes up an odd sort of friendship with Al. And although Miss Webster, the school principal, quickly discovers their secret, the girls convince her not to turn them in, and she becomes an ally for them and someone Fiona can call upon in times of trouble. Eventually the sisters begin to hope that just maybe Miss Webster will adopt them. When that hope is dashed, they bravely continue fending for themselves. But worrying about money and bills, and trying to keep her sisters happy and constantly avoiding Martha’s lawyer…, juggling all of these things is hard for a 14-year-old girl, and when it becomes more than Fiona can manage, the question becomes one of whether or not they will be able to find a way to stay together.

Beloved and highly-lauded author Polly Horvath has brought her inimitable style and flair for humble hilarity to this tale of orphans attempting to survive on their own. The story is deceptively simple, but it is filled with characters that are a sheer and utter delight. The girls, themselves, are plucky and resourceful and quirky in the best possible way while Al Farber is more complex and nuanced than readers might initially expect. Even Mr. Pennypacker, Martha’s garden gnome-like lawyer, proves to be a sympathetic character in his own right. The sisters each emerge as their own unique person, and they each make their own discoveries about themselves and the world around them. Their observations are droll yet also profound and perceptive. Although tales of orphans having to fend for themselves are not uncommon in children’s literature, Horvath’s wit and whimsy make this particular story feel fresh. The bucolic setting serves the story well and provides the ideal backdrop for their subterfuge. At times touching and tender and also riotously funny, this familial tale is beautifully told in prose that is elegantly understated. While the outcome of Pine Island Home may not be altogether surprising, the road readers take to get there is a marvelous romp that is both satisfying and genuinely heartwarming.