No Children, No Pets

by Marion Holland

Three children and their widowed mother inherit a run-down apartment building in Florida. A sign on the front door says "No Children, No Pets." Adventure awaits as the kids solve lingering mysteries and help fix up the building. A satisfying childhood tale that keeps you guessing what will happen next.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Chapter Books, 1st Grade, School, Contemporary

182 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1957

Reviews

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book many times over the past. . . 60 years! My copy is a Weekly Reader Book Club edition and the pages are yellowed around the edges. I read it very carefully now. It is my ultimate comfort book when life is hard and dark. It's wonderfully written with clean, crisp, funny prose and very believable characters in a situation that is engaging, has a touch of mystery, and where the children drive the story, but a very concrete and believable way. I highly recommend it.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book when I was a kid and it was one of my favorites. I still get it out to read from time to time just for the sheer nostalgic value. As a child, I found it fascinating that a group of ordinary children could have an impact on their surroundings and on the people around them. The hint of mystery involved was also a huge draw for me.

[Eloise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book numerous times in my life. I first picked it up when I was about 10 years old. 45 years later, I will still pick it up when I want to go to something familiar and loved. A great story!

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a darling story that I have read with my 8 year old boy over the summer. It was written in 1956 so it has that “old feel” to it, and therefore I enjoyed it more than my son did. It’s not action packed or fast moving, but has a cute story line involving three siblings, an apartment building, a hurricane, and more. Would probably be most enjoyable to girls ages 10 and up. It’s a sweet book.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of our summer reads this year...really cute story. The kids loved it because there was this underlying mystery that they are so into right now. They try to figure things out before we get to the end. Love it. We all cheered at the end! :)) I'm loving books that are wholesome and so fun to read to the kids...they are hard to find. Sad.

[Cassiejoan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this aloud years ago during an incredibly difficult time of life. When a friend mentioned they had read it and enjoyed it, I decided to revisit it, knowing my memories of the book were much influenced by the cloud that lived over us at the time. I'm so glad we did! It is a vintage-y story of a family that finds themselves running an apartment complex and looking for clues to a mystery along the way. The friendship and family dynamics in this are so sweet.

[Melissa King · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read aloud to my kids and was enjoyed by all. The main characters (3 children of 12ish years old) were very proactive, industrious, capable, and in the end made sweet friendships with the older tenants of the apartment building. A silly mystery to keep the kids busy. Swimming at the beach every afternoon. A satisfying, tidy happy ending. Not fantastic literature, but a great summer read.

One thing to consider: at one point the little sister (3 years old) goes to visit one of the older ladies inside her apartment, without her families knowledge, and is told to keep it a secret. HUGE no-no in the modern world. This is a problem I often come across with older books, but of course we can just talk about it after reading. Turns out that the older lady has a pet monkey and is afraid of getting kicked out, since pets are against the rules.

Other fun talking points are Florida, hibiscus plants, coconut trees, seashells, and hurricanes. My kids enjoyed looking these up as they were mentioned in the book.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Children's book written in '57 set is 50's Florida. Reread for the 100th time!

[Mary]

It is one of my happiest memories reading this book as a child.

[Hannah Garden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This turned up in one of Joe's lots and because it's about living in a ramshackle old apartment building in Florida in the 70s I loved it loved it loved it.

[Emmie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun book to read with my kids. It is part of our homeschool curriculum this year and probably the best new book we have read thus far, in my opinion. The kids were interested and were able to tell me about the story and would even ask questions. This is a great read aloud for all kids no matter the age or gender.

Updated review:
I enjoyed reading this book as much as I did the first time around. It is a great book to show ingenuity and how kids can figure out solutions to life problems. This book shows these children working hard to help there mother and work towards a goal together. You also learn about sibling relationships and see the struggles of having responsibility.

There are many different lessons you can pull out of this book to talk about with your kids: Hard work, seeking your own way vs doing what needs to be done, cooperation, kindness to strangers, not accusing without facts and not jumping to conclusions, honest living, wisdom, loving your neighbor as yourself and seeking the good of others are just a few you can find.

I really liked the chapter called, "Tenants Are People" where you see the kids begin to see that the people living in the building are not just a bunch of old people who don't want them around, but human beings who are like them, just older.

The mystery throughout the book also keeps it fun!

My only struggle with the book was a bit of feminist undertone, but it's done in a way that it shows the real struggle women sometimes have when we live out our roles in a fallen world. It's not at all in your face, but I definitely heard it mildly in there this time.

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't remember when I first read this book. I know I was younger and was going through all my mom's books and found this one and read it in about a 1/2 hour. And then read it again. And then put it with my books and never gave it back to her. Naughty I know. :)
I carried this book all over as I moved around. And along the way, it either got stolen (which is what I tend to believe happened as it was around the same time more of my stuff came up missing and a friend suddenly wasn't my friend anymore) or I lost it. I grieved over the loss of this book. It was one of my favorites!!!!
Fast-forward 10 or so years and I was lamenting its loss to my husband and he started doing searches for it and lo and behold found it and bought it for me! I WAS SO EXCITED! And I have to say, it was just as good as I remember it being!
This is the story of a single mom,her three kids and an apartment building they inherit in Florida from a mean and nasty uncle.
The characters that live in the building are hilarious as well as mean (some of them anyway) and really add flavor to the story.
As they try and adapt and learn the ways of running a building MANY things happen, but it all works out in the end.
I highly recommend this book...if you can find it!!! I recommend going through your parent's stuff...you never know what you will find!

**Just checked the front of the book. This was a selection of the "Weekly Reader Children's Book Club" and was published in 1956. :)

[Laura (Book Scrounger) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute story (from a "simpler time") about a family that moves into an inherited apartment building and goes to work fixing it up, and trying to solve a few mysteries in the process.

Sonlight includes it as a kindergarten read-aloud, but I think we'll play it by ear -- it was a fine story, but due to the details and pacing (and multiple characters) I'm afraid it might be a bit much for younger children, and may work better for a slightly older age (or for personal reading for older children, especially those who enjoy books like The Boxcar Children).

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't too sure about this book, at first, since it didn't seem to have much of a storyline. However, everything came together in the end to make quite a nice story. My three boys (ages 7, 5, and 3) really enjoyed it. I was surprised at how much they laughed at certain parts/characters. We also had some great discussions about some of the vocabulary and different subjects in the book, ranging from hurricanes to how the characters' opinions about other people changed once they got to know them (most of the time). Overall, I thought this was a good book with a happy ending and I'm glad I took the time to read it completely.

[Challice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasnt sure what to expect with this story about a poor family inheriting an apartment complex in Florida. However it didn't take long for us to fall madly in love with Don, Jane, Betsy and their new friend, Mike. These darling children won the hearts of the tenants who were accustomed to the previous owners strict rule about No Children and No pets.

However, just inheriting a home in FL is not enough to keep the family there. Even though their hearts have been won to the sea, the area, Mike, and even some of the eccentric tenants, money still remains an issue. Will it be resolved? And will a hurricane be the answer to all their troubles?

[Matthew Hodge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this to my 6yo for school. Simple but well-executed, it tells of a single mother and her three children who suddenly inherit an entire apartment building in Florida.

Which, in true Florida fashion, is loaded with eccentric retirees and a sign out the front with the slogan that forms the title of the book.

Part mystery, part struggling family pulls together to make good happen, it's a feel-good story that wraps up all the loose ends neatly. 6yo loved it.

[Michele The Bookish Tea Room · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an incredibly sweet and fun book to read with the kids. We all enjoyed reading about Jane, Don and Betsy moving to an inherited apartment complex in Florida. The tenants of the building and colorful and hilarious characters, and there is even a mystery of who stole the ruby brooch! Since we live in California, we were very intrigued by the chapters involving the hurricane! Fun book, I highly recommend for ages 5-9.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remember seeing this on the bookshelf as a child, but never read it. Out of print, very hard to find. Found a copy that belonged to my dad. Really fun read aloud. Great summer read for a young reader.

[Juanita Moose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Florida hurricanes have me thinking about this book and wishing I had a copy to read. Will have to get a copy from my library. I remember the family in the book solving mysteries, learning to cope with new situations, and weathering a bad storm.

[Angela Boord · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this one to my 9 and 6 year olds, who loved it. Actually, anybody who was in the room sat in to listen, no matter their age, and my 12 yo took it to read for himself. Lots of humor in this one, an unexpected twist at the end, and an interesting look at a very different Florida in the 50's.

[Hannah Linder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful children's book!

[Dorothy Alva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun kids book that happens in Florida and they go through a hurricane
🌴🌺😎

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've loved this book from the time I was about 10 years old, and it hasn't aged or lost it's magic. If you have a young reader this book is great for reading alone or together out loud. I highly recommend it.

[KerryT · Rating 4 out of 5]

A typical feel good children’s story from the 1950’s, and I love them so much!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't bad, but I think it would have worked better as an independent read as it took 2 months to do as a read aloud because it wasn't interesting enough for us to want to get back to it.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars in this case is not an insult, but I really can't see giving it three. The most interesting thing was seeing how Florida and perspectives on living there have changed. In the 50s it was seen as Oldsterville, an inexpensive haven for retirees who wanted to get away from the harsh winters of the north and live cheaply. Holland died in 1989. I wonder what she thought of modern Florida.
A widow and her three children inherit a rundown apartment building from a miserly uncle, and decide to check it out before Mom makes any decisions about selling it on. The two older siblings make friends with another boy who helps them fix up some of the minor problems in the building (it was really interesting to read how Jane patched a hole in a window screen. Don't think I could have done that myself). The kids are trusted to get on with their unpaid summer job (it was called helping out, and in those days it was expected) in the mornings, and then they have their afternoons free. Mom is usually tied up with paperwork etc and she thinks nothing of letting them go off by themselves to the beach or just wandering the town.
A few of the tenants are well-drawn, especially Mrs Pennypacker, that obnoxious busybody neighbour most of us have suffered from. What kept it from being three stars was the oh so coincidental ending. It all came together in a nice, neat package in the most unbelievable way.

[Emma Filbrun · Rating 5 out of 5]

No Children, No Pets turns out to be a delightful story. What happens when a widow with three children and a cat, living in Philadelphia, inherits an apartment house in Florida? The apartment house very clearly says, on signs by the front door, that children and pets are not allowed. Mother and the children move in anyway until they can figure out what to do with the place. Several mysteries crop up almost immediately—what happened to Mrs. Pennypacker’s ruby pin? Who took the can of beans out of the kitchen and put the empty can in a trash container? Why won’t Miss Giddings let anyone into her apartment? And where does Mike, the boy who shows up every day to help Don and Jane on their mission to do the work so that Mother will decide to stay, live?
This is a mystery that is totally believable—the kind of story that could happen to anyone. It is a perfect beginning detective story for young children; my six-year-old loved it. Along the way, you get a feel for life in Florida in the summer—heat, ocean and beach, and a hurricane figure into the story. I really like this one.
WARNING: There isn’t swearing, but there are expressions used occasionally that I don’t appreciate, for example hot diggity and gee.

[Hallie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read this childhood favorite after many years. I now remember why I read it many times when I was young, in the 70s and early 80s. Florida, the ocean, hurricanes, coconuts and seashells were all new to me as a child in the Midwest. Visiting another place through reading is a great escape and a great way to learn too. It is a simple gentle story with elements of mystery and characters who we learn aren’t always who they first seem to be.

[Peggy Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my boss's favorite children's book from when she was growing up. It's another Florida book. It's got a lot of similarities with The Pink Motel, yet it's a totally different book. Hard to find, but a fun little book.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite childhood books. A bit of mystery and adventure.