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Worry Week
"JUST THINK - we'll be on the island and we won't have a worry in the world." When her parents are forced to cut short the family's visit to their summer cottage on a Maine island, eleven-year-old Allegra Sloane and her sisters - thirteen-year-old Alice and seven-year-old Edith (AKA Minnow) - decide they'd much rather spend a week alone on the island than languish in steamy Boston. So the ever resourceful Allegra concocts a plan for herself and her sisters to surreptitiously remain behind. At first everything proceeds according to plan; the girls slip away from their parents (and avoid a visit to stuffy Aunt Edna) and the promise of freedom beckons brightly. Unfortunately, their plan has a few holes in it; when the girls return to the cottage they find it emptied of food. Allegra realizes it's up to her to provide for her impractical sisters. The bookish Alice is more interested in reading Nancy Drew stories and declaiming Shakespeare and Minnow is preoccupied with gluing seashells to every canister in the house. Forced to fend for themselves, the girls learn to live off the land, gathering berries and chanterelles in the woods and mussels from the shore. Allegra learns perhaps the most important lesson: how stressful parenting can be. But the girls' adventures in survival are only half the story; for years rumors have suggested that their house contains a hidden treasure and this is enough to send the sisters off on a treasure hunt. The treasure they find is not buried gold but a trove that binds them closer to their family's history and to New England's literary heritage. Anne Lindbergh's timeless seaside story is suffused with the carefree pleasures of childhood. Full of summer sunand mischief, set on her own summer home of North Haven, it confirms her place among the best storytellers the region has produced.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1985
1 person is currently reading
111 people want to read
About the author
Anne Lindbergh
18 books10 followersAnne Spencer Lindbergh, daughter of Anne Morrow Lindbergh and Charles Lindbergh; sister of Reeve Lindbergh.
Also published under the name Anne Lindbergh Feydy.
New York Times obituary
Also published under the name Anne Lindbergh Feydy.
New York Times obituary
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
May 16, 2012
If you were ever (or ever aspired to be) a quirky, bookish, charmingly awkward girl with too much imagination surrounded by too much reality, please read this book. With my bestest friend by my side, I pored over this book, wishing I could dig for periwinkles, hide away on a Maine ferry and quote Shakespeare on the beach with nary a parent in sight right along with the story's sisters. It's just wonderful and I hope you read it.
August 5, 2012
It was a fortunate day indeed when I happened to find this sitting, inexplicably, on our kitchen counter. I don't know how many times I have read it over the last 10 years or so but I love it every time. It's perfect reading for a summer day, and I can only hope to one day read it while sitting on a beach in Maine.
August 31, 2007
When I was young I loved what I called "survival stories"- where kids are on their own to feed and take care of themselves- think My Side of the Mountain, Baby Island, Call it Courage, The Boxcar Children, etc.
This is a safer kind of survival story- Alice, Allegra, and Minnow are only on their own for a week, staying in their parent's vacation home on North Haven Island while their parents think they are with Aunt Ruth and Aunt Ruth thinks they are with their parents in Boston. The three sisters didn't want to miss out on precious vacation days while their parents attended a funeral. Thing is, a caretaker came by and took away all the food while the girls were sneaking back off the ferry. And they're hungry.
Alice is busy memorizing Shakespeare, and Minnow compulsively glues shells to any flat surface she can find, so it's up to Allegra to keep her sisters alive and fed for a week. I have two sisters as well, and we're not quite as bizarre, but the humor in this story made me wish I could spend a week fending for myself on an island with my sisters.
This is a safer kind of survival story- Alice, Allegra, and Minnow are only on their own for a week, staying in their parent's vacation home on North Haven Island while their parents think they are with Aunt Ruth and Aunt Ruth thinks they are with their parents in Boston. The three sisters didn't want to miss out on precious vacation days while their parents attended a funeral. Thing is, a caretaker came by and took away all the food while the girls were sneaking back off the ferry. And they're hungry.
Alice is busy memorizing Shakespeare, and Minnow compulsively glues shells to any flat surface she can find, so it's up to Allegra to keep her sisters alive and fed for a week. I have two sisters as well, and we're not quite as bizarre, but the humor in this story made me wish I could spend a week fending for myself on an island with my sisters.
December 28, 2016
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
Allegra is the middle sister between dewy-eyed Alice and wild child Edith (called Minnow). Allegra’s favorite place in the entire world is North Haven, an island off the coast of Maine where she and her family rent a cottage every summer. With 17 days of vacation left, Allegra’s parents find themselves called away from the island for a funeral, and they plan to send the three girls to stay with their aunt. Allegra, who just can’t bear being away from the island for a week, decides to tell a couple of lies in order to make it possible for her and her sisters to remain at North Haven alone. The plan goes off without a hitch - until the girls get home to find there is no food. What is supposed to be a relaxing time of freedom from parents and rules turns out to be a week of worries as Allegra struggles to keep her sisters well-fed, happy, and free from injury until their parents get home.
This quick middle grade read by Anne Lindbergh (daughter of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh) is a great choice for upper elementary beach reading. Any child who has ever had a vacation cut short, or who has lamented the end of a long visit to the beach will understand Allegra’s desire to deceive her parents and make the most of her time on her beloved island. The three girls’ extremely different personalities are a major source of conflict and excitement as the story progresses, and the plot really appeals to kids’ sense of adventure. Kids often imagine what their lives would be like if they were left unattended for even a short time, and this book explores the practical side of such an adventure, but also indulges kids’ curiosity about what that situation would really be like.
Allegra is a wonderful narrator, whose voice is intelligent, funny, vaguely sarcastic, and brutally honest. Her views of her stranger sisters - Alice, who speaks almost exclusively in Shakespearean dialogue from Romeo and Juliet, and Minnow, who loses six pairs of underpants in just one week - say a lot about the relationships that exist between sisters and the reader is aware of how much the girls love each other, even when they don’t get along. As in Swallows and Amazons, there is danger in this book, but it’s never insurmountable, and even the worst emergency of the story doesn’t scare the reader. Rather, the reader is amused by these brave three girls who are able to live off the land for a full week without ever asking for assistance from adults.
The Worry Week was published in 1985, but the only thing that truly dates the story itself is the lack of cell phones. A cell phone would have made it much easier for their parents to figure out what the girls had done and probably would have put an end to their island adventure that much sooner. The edition I borrowed from my local library also has absolutely atrocious illustrations that do not match the story and don’t even really look professional. I was utterly surprised that the book jacket calls the illustrations “lively.” Each one was more out of place and awkward than the next!
The Worry Week compares well to The Sisters Club by Megan McDonald, Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt, and the Penderwicks series. Girls who like adventure, family stories, and happy endings, will find all three in this fun and well-written novel for grades 3 to 7.
Allegra is the middle sister between dewy-eyed Alice and wild child Edith (called Minnow). Allegra’s favorite place in the entire world is North Haven, an island off the coast of Maine where she and her family rent a cottage every summer. With 17 days of vacation left, Allegra’s parents find themselves called away from the island for a funeral, and they plan to send the three girls to stay with their aunt. Allegra, who just can’t bear being away from the island for a week, decides to tell a couple of lies in order to make it possible for her and her sisters to remain at North Haven alone. The plan goes off without a hitch - until the girls get home to find there is no food. What is supposed to be a relaxing time of freedom from parents and rules turns out to be a week of worries as Allegra struggles to keep her sisters well-fed, happy, and free from injury until their parents get home.
This quick middle grade read by Anne Lindbergh (daughter of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh) is a great choice for upper elementary beach reading. Any child who has ever had a vacation cut short, or who has lamented the end of a long visit to the beach will understand Allegra’s desire to deceive her parents and make the most of her time on her beloved island. The three girls’ extremely different personalities are a major source of conflict and excitement as the story progresses, and the plot really appeals to kids’ sense of adventure. Kids often imagine what their lives would be like if they were left unattended for even a short time, and this book explores the practical side of such an adventure, but also indulges kids’ curiosity about what that situation would really be like.
Allegra is a wonderful narrator, whose voice is intelligent, funny, vaguely sarcastic, and brutally honest. Her views of her stranger sisters - Alice, who speaks almost exclusively in Shakespearean dialogue from Romeo and Juliet, and Minnow, who loses six pairs of underpants in just one week - say a lot about the relationships that exist between sisters and the reader is aware of how much the girls love each other, even when they don’t get along. As in Swallows and Amazons, there is danger in this book, but it’s never insurmountable, and even the worst emergency of the story doesn’t scare the reader. Rather, the reader is amused by these brave three girls who are able to live off the land for a full week without ever asking for assistance from adults.
The Worry Week was published in 1985, but the only thing that truly dates the story itself is the lack of cell phones. A cell phone would have made it much easier for their parents to figure out what the girls had done and probably would have put an end to their island adventure that much sooner. The edition I borrowed from my local library also has absolutely atrocious illustrations that do not match the story and don’t even really look professional. I was utterly surprised that the book jacket calls the illustrations “lively.” Each one was more out of place and awkward than the next!
The Worry Week compares well to The Sisters Club by Megan McDonald, Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt, and the Penderwicks series. Girls who like adventure, family stories, and happy endings, will find all three in this fun and well-written novel for grades 3 to 7.
December 24, 2025
Bed bound in my childhood room so going through some old favorites that my parents haven't given to goodwill yet. Short n sweet! I miss Maine!
June 16, 2015
(3.5 rounded down.) 11-year-old Allegra Sloane loves visiting her family's vacation home on an island in Maine every summer with her parents and two sisters. The weeks spent at the beach and in town are so treasured that when their parents are called home for an emergency, planning on leaving the three girls with their aged, boring Aunt Ruth, Allegra decides something must be done. She devises a plan that will leave her, her older sister Alice and her younger sister Minnow home alone for an entire glorious week of freedom. But there are a few things that Allegra didn't really think about when putting this plan into action... Like three young girls surviving a whole week on their own!
This book comes highly recommended by The Wife (see her glowing review here), and it's a quick read so I decided to pick it up before my next foray into Hardyland. I enjoyed it, but not as much as I think I would have if it had been for a couple of conditions: 1) If I had read this as a child, and 2) if I were a girl. I think if I were a wee lass this story would have really resonated with me, but as an adult male, while I recognized its many charms, it didn't leave quite as much of an impression. I didn't realize food would be such a consistent issue, and I didn't expect it to be so much a survival story as a story of the misadventures of three unattended little girls (which non-existent book still seems really intriguing to me). Speaking of which, I thought the girls were really fun characters, they felt real and bickered like young sisters would, but not to the point where it became tiresome or vexing. I was glad the consequences of their naughtiness didn't get brushed aside, but that the family made it work the best they could. I liked the tie-in to The Children's Hour, and there were a few exciting and hilarious events along the way. Clueless Luna-Lovegood-type Alice and her obsession with Romeo & Juliet and Minnow and her childlike insistence on being naked as much as possible were really funny, and a nice contrast to Allegra's businesslike and more serious personality. I thought the subplot of the "hidden treasure" in the house fell a little flat, and overall it felt a little dated, but that was probably due to the illustrations.
The Wife is a little peeved I didn't love this childhood favorite of hers as much as she did, but I did enjoy The Worry Week. This is a wonderful ode to Maine and to summer and to the beach and to childhood independence, and an interesting little series of events, but I guess I expected something different from it. Let's put it this way: I expected Home Alone, but found Hatchet instead. But I liked it! And now I understand why one of The Wife's life goals is to vacation in Maine.
This book comes highly recommended by The Wife (see her glowing review here), and it's a quick read so I decided to pick it up before my next foray into Hardyland. I enjoyed it, but not as much as I think I would have if it had been for a couple of conditions: 1) If I had read this as a child, and 2) if I were a girl. I think if I were a wee lass this story would have really resonated with me, but as an adult male, while I recognized its many charms, it didn't leave quite as much of an impression. I didn't realize food would be such a consistent issue, and I didn't expect it to be so much a survival story as a story of the misadventures of three unattended little girls (which non-existent book still seems really intriguing to me). Speaking of which, I thought the girls were really fun characters, they felt real and bickered like young sisters would, but not to the point where it became tiresome or vexing. I was glad the consequences of their naughtiness didn't get brushed aside, but that the family made it work the best they could. I liked the tie-in to The Children's Hour, and there were a few exciting and hilarious events along the way. Clueless Luna-Lovegood-type Alice and her obsession with Romeo & Juliet and Minnow and her childlike insistence on being naked as much as possible were really funny, and a nice contrast to Allegra's businesslike and more serious personality. I thought the subplot of the "hidden treasure" in the house fell a little flat, and overall it felt a little dated, but that was probably due to the illustrations.
The Wife is a little peeved I didn't love this childhood favorite of hers as much as she did, but I did enjoy The Worry Week. This is a wonderful ode to Maine and to summer and to the beach and to childhood independence, and an interesting little series of events, but I guess I expected something different from it. Let's put it this way: I expected Home Alone, but found Hatchet instead. But I liked it! And now I understand why one of The Wife's life goals is to vacation in Maine.
August 18, 2023
Cute story based in Maine - enjoyed reading it to my 7 & 9 year old girls.
October 18, 2020
This is such a well-written book that I missed during my own childhood. The three sisters are funny, smart, and completely real. I love that there's no bossy older brother running the show, as often seems to be the case in books like this. It's just the three girls, surviving on their own and taking care of each other. Great book for boys to read (and girls too, of course)!
August 5, 2007
My favorite book as a kid, and still a good read. Three kids left in their summer house with no parents, and have to live off the land and sea.
August 18, 2008
Absolutely hilarious!
January 2, 2009
I remember this book from 5th grade, with only a few details I remembered, I was able to use every librarian resource I had to locate the title, after a few months, I found it..how wonderful1
May 12, 2011
A gentle adventure story for middle-grade readers and a perfect recommendation for a girl's summer reading list.
March 17, 2017
Good book for survival.
May 11, 2024
An absolutely charming children's novel about three resourceful and spirited sisters who decide they want to stay on at the family summer home when their parents have to go back home for a family funeral.
The characters are so well written that I have a sense that I would know how each would respond to the situations that come up, from each daughter, their parents, the annoying old great-aunt, even the housekeeper and her family.
I have a soft spot for children's books in general, but this genre of resourceful children finding their way (The Boxcar Children, Hatchet, for two examples) is a special favorite and I'm so glad to have stumbled across this book.
The characters are so well written that I have a sense that I would know how each would respond to the situations that come up, from each daughter, their parents, the annoying old great-aunt, even the housekeeper and her family.
I have a soft spot for children's books in general, but this genre of resourceful children finding their way (The Boxcar Children, Hatchet, for two examples) is a special favorite and I'm so glad to have stumbled across this book.
Read
August 18, 2019Read decades ago. In the book I'm currently reading, a character mused about how the time of day was "the children's hour", which reminded me of the Longfellow poem. The characters in The Worry Week are named for the girls in that poem--his daughters--and I recall the book mentioning that in their case the descriptions of the girls didn't fit. It having been some thirty years since I've seen it, though, I didn't recall the book title or plot. A quick Google and I found it, but other than knowing I read it at least twice, I don't remember what I thought of it.
June 12, 2020
A really lovely story, I've read it every summer since I received it as a gift when I was 11 or 12.
April 24, 2021
I can't remember the last time I laughed out loud till I cried over a book. Why did I wait so long to read this? So fun. So fun....
October 25, 2021
A cute young adult book written by the daughter of Anne Morrow Lindbergh
August 4, 2020
My daughter and I read this together, and loved it! It is so well written, funny, and adventurous!
April 27, 2020
General summary of the book.
11 year old Allegra Sloane LOVES her families summer house in Maine. In fact she loves it so much that when they are told they have to miss some of their vacation there because an old relative died, Allegra concocts a plan. Allegra does not want to miss any of their vacation to Maine, so she comes up with a plan that will let her and her two sisters Minnow and Alice stay there the week that they would miss, without her parents knowing. Alice and Minnow are Allegra's two sisters, Alice who is 13 and Minnow who is 7, Minnow (who's real name is Edith) loves to eat glue and glue seashells to pots,pans,containers, etc. Alice is Allegra's older sister who often wonders off daydreaming, quoting Shakespeare, and eating spicy pepperoni. The three girls are named after the girls in the poem "The Children's Hour" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who their father is obsessed with. This is because their great uncle (the relative who died) said there was a hidden treasure hidden in their summer house on Maine, and it had something to do with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The girls parents believe they are staying with their awful and strict Aunt Ruth while they attend the funeral in Boston, when all the while they secretly make it back to their summer home by ferry without them knowing. But when the girls arrive back at their summer house they find that all the food was taken away by Dickie Moon the nosy woman who helps take care of their house when they aren't there. The girls search the house for food finding almost nothing. The girls have to use nature for survival, using the knowledge their father has given them, they have to cook and gather chantereles, periwinkles, muscles and more. Allegra discoveres how little of a vacation it is when she ends up acting as the parent of both girls because Minnow is only 7 and Alice "isn't quite all there." Allegra has to worry about putting food on the table for each meal and ends up dealing with sprained legs, bee attacks, Minnow's fear of "murdering thieves," sunburns and more. Can Allegra and the girls survive the Worry Week? Will they get caught by their parents? And will they find the hidden treasure?
What did you like/dislike about the book?Why?
I can not find a single thing I dislike about this book!! This book is one of my all time favorite books and I have read it two more times since I read it first at the beginning of quarantine. Some things I love about this book is it reminds me of summer and is relaxing to read. This book reminds me of the things I love to do in summer and makes me think of swimming, picnics, and other fun summer activities. This book is super fun to read during quarantine, because it cheers you up and puts you in a good mood. My mom suggested this book to me and I absolutely LOVE it!!! This book is filled with some mystery, lots of laughs, sweet moments, and every good quality that should be in a book, oh and again, LOTS of funny moments. This book is sort of short but still has enough entertainment that a 500 page book could have too!! I am so glad I read this book and I will definitely be reading it over and over again in the future.
Who would you recommend this book to? Why?
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read one of the best books ever and find their new favorite book!! But if I had to be specific, I would say anyone who likes to read a book with a good summer adventure. I have suggested this book to a few of my friends already and I am very glad my mom suggested this book to me. Even my little sister who is in 5th grade (she is coming to evergreen next year, and I have 4 other siblings besides her who are coming in the future) who is EXTREMELY picky about what she reads loved this book when I read it to her. My little almost 9 year old brother, loved this book also. I think a lot of people would enjoy this book, and it will definitely keep you occupied and lift your spirits during quarantine. I would give this book 5 stars and I think almost anyone who reads it will love it as much as I did!!
11 year old Allegra Sloane LOVES her families summer house in Maine. In fact she loves it so much that when they are told they have to miss some of their vacation there because an old relative died, Allegra concocts a plan. Allegra does not want to miss any of their vacation to Maine, so she comes up with a plan that will let her and her two sisters Minnow and Alice stay there the week that they would miss, without her parents knowing. Alice and Minnow are Allegra's two sisters, Alice who is 13 and Minnow who is 7, Minnow (who's real name is Edith) loves to eat glue and glue seashells to pots,pans,containers, etc. Alice is Allegra's older sister who often wonders off daydreaming, quoting Shakespeare, and eating spicy pepperoni. The three girls are named after the girls in the poem "The Children's Hour" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who their father is obsessed with. This is because their great uncle (the relative who died) said there was a hidden treasure hidden in their summer house on Maine, and it had something to do with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The girls parents believe they are staying with their awful and strict Aunt Ruth while they attend the funeral in Boston, when all the while they secretly make it back to their summer home by ferry without them knowing. But when the girls arrive back at their summer house they find that all the food was taken away by Dickie Moon the nosy woman who helps take care of their house when they aren't there. The girls search the house for food finding almost nothing. The girls have to use nature for survival, using the knowledge their father has given them, they have to cook and gather chantereles, periwinkles, muscles and more. Allegra discoveres how little of a vacation it is when she ends up acting as the parent of both girls because Minnow is only 7 and Alice "isn't quite all there." Allegra has to worry about putting food on the table for each meal and ends up dealing with sprained legs, bee attacks, Minnow's fear of "murdering thieves," sunburns and more. Can Allegra and the girls survive the Worry Week? Will they get caught by their parents? And will they find the hidden treasure?
What did you like/dislike about the book?Why?
I can not find a single thing I dislike about this book!! This book is one of my all time favorite books and I have read it two more times since I read it first at the beginning of quarantine. Some things I love about this book is it reminds me of summer and is relaxing to read. This book reminds me of the things I love to do in summer and makes me think of swimming, picnics, and other fun summer activities. This book is super fun to read during quarantine, because it cheers you up and puts you in a good mood. My mom suggested this book to me and I absolutely LOVE it!!! This book is filled with some mystery, lots of laughs, sweet moments, and every good quality that should be in a book, oh and again, LOTS of funny moments. This book is sort of short but still has enough entertainment that a 500 page book could have too!! I am so glad I read this book and I will definitely be reading it over and over again in the future.
Who would you recommend this book to? Why?
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read one of the best books ever and find their new favorite book!! But if I had to be specific, I would say anyone who likes to read a book with a good summer adventure. I have suggested this book to a few of my friends already and I am very glad my mom suggested this book to me. Even my little sister who is in 5th grade (she is coming to evergreen next year, and I have 4 other siblings besides her who are coming in the future) who is EXTREMELY picky about what she reads loved this book when I read it to her. My little almost 9 year old brother, loved this book also. I think a lot of people would enjoy this book, and it will definitely keep you occupied and lift your spirits during quarantine. I would give this book 5 stars and I think almost anyone who reads it will love it as much as I did!!
January 19, 2024
Just as sweet and interesting of a book as it was when I read it as a child!
September 25, 2021
This book has incredible Virgo energy
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews