Look Out for the Fitzgerald-Trouts

The Fitzgerald-Trouts #1

by Esta Spalding, Sydney Smith (Illustrator)

Kim Fitzgerald-Trout took to driving with ease--as most children would if their parents would ever let them try. She had to. After all, she and her siblings live in a car.

Meet the Fitzgerald-Trouts, a band of four loosely related children living together in a lush tropical island. They take care of themselves. They sleep in their car, bathe in the ocean, eat fish they catch and fruit they pick, and can drive anywhere they need to go--to the school, the laundromat, or the drive-in. If they put their minds to it, the Fitzgerald-Trouts can do anything. Even, they hope, find a real home.

Award-winning poet and screenwriter Esta Spalding's exciting middle grade debut establishes a marvelous place where children fend for themselves, and adults only seem to ruin everything. This extraordinary world is brought to vibrant life by Sydney Smith, the celebrated artist behind Sidewalk Flowers.

Genres: Middle Grade, Adventure, Canada, Childrens, Fiction, Humor, Family

248 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 3, 2016

Reviews

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do not be taken in by the title: the four Fitzgerald-Trouts — four siblings and half-siblings named Kim, Kimo, Peppa and Toby — aren’t mischievous or dangerous. Instead, they’re resourceful, honest, and clever children making the best of a dreadful situation.

The foursome have been rendered homeless through the neglect and selfishness of their terrible parents, parents as bad as any in a Roald Dahl novel, a scolding Daily Mail article on bad parenting, or a viral shaming YouTube video. The children have been reduced to living in a car that the eldest one, 11-year-old Kim, drives around their tropical island home. Kim mothers the other three children, as she was left in charge by her feckless father, an irresponsible anthropologist father who ends up abandoning his children in favor of studying faraway pygmies. (The children’s mothers are no better.) Kim makes sure they all eat breakfast, bathe, brush their teeth, attend school, hit the laundromat, do homework, and get to bed on time when their parents are literally nowhere to be found. When the two youngest children start to outgrow sleeping in the back seat of their sedan, Kim knows that she has to find a real home soon.

Screenwriter and author Esta Spalding creates a fabulous middle-grade fable that will enthrall young readers with its fantastical adventures and its depiction of some incredibly quick-witted and capable kids; the book also reminds their parents of the dangers of letting the work-life balance get out of skew. Adults will enjoy Look Out for the Fitzgerald-Trouts as much as the kids.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.

[Lizzie J · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

The Fitzgerald-Trouts are a mismatched family of children who live in a car on a tropical island. Together, they share four parents (five, at the addition of a baby sister), but their parents never want anything to do with their children. Instead, the children fend for themselves, get groceries, go to school, and live off the money that their parents occasionally drop off. However, now that they're getting older (their ages are 11, 11, 8, and 5), they're starting to no longer fit in the car. So starts their journey to search the island for their very own house.

I think that an author's most important job is to convince the reader that their imaginary world actually exists.

I was not very convinced that this world existed.

I felt like everything in the book was way too far-out. And, don't get me wrong, I'm not a stickler for realism (I'm totally convinced that Ralph S. Mouse has a motorcycle, Percy Jackson fought Kronos, and the Dragonets of Destiny saved Pyrrhia.) However, I'm not sold on the fact that four young children were living in a car (and have been living that way for three years) and drove through a jungle of blood-sucking iguanas to find a house.

The characters were very "typical" stereotype characters. The dependable older sister, the strong, playful older brother, the loud middle child, and the sweet little brother. Really, they were the Boxcar Children in another world. The mothers were also extreme, almost cartoon-like characters.

I guess that would be a good adjective for the book. "Cartoony."

I'm all for new, out of the box story ideas. I think that there were a lot of original elements in the story. I just think that a lot more could have been done to show that this was a real world. Even in far-out stories, there have to be some realistic details in order to not make it seem crazy. Maybe it would have made a cute picture book for younger kids, but I don't think it completely works as a chapter book.


Swearing: None

Sexual Content: None

Violence: The blood-sucking iguanas attack two of the parents at one point, but it wasn't described in detail.

Religious/spiritual content: None

Who I would recommend this book too: I think it's probably meant for kids around 7-10.

[Mr. Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really fun story about a family of kids, ranging in age from 5-11, who are living on their own because their parents are either missing or "terribly busy". A lot of the story is told tongue-in-cheek, such as my favorite line: "[she] took to driving with ease - as most children would if their parents would ever let them try."

Each of the characters' personalities is relatable, and I definitely know kids who fit the mold of each of the four siblings. It's one of those books where the kids know better than the adults, and I think many children will enjoy it. Font size and content lend themselves to reluctant readers.

The artwork inside the book (it was an arc) was not ready yet, but if the cover is any indication, they will certainly add a considerable amount to the story, as this is a story that begs to be illustrated.

[createitlibrarian (Amanda) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had to read this for the CLAU committee. It was actually pretty good. Siblings are basically abandoned by the adults in their lives and they take care of each other.

[Vikki VanSickle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fitzgerald-Trouts are a family of loosely related siblings living in a car on a tropical island full of (delightfully) terrible adults. They are fully capable of looking after themselves, but the one thing they would love is a house to call their own. This first book in a new series does a great job setting up the world of the Fitzgerald Trouts, which is just the slightest bit fantastical. The story is lovingly told by a narrator who walks into the story as a character about half way through the book in a delightful twist.

Spalding’s storytelling is effortless and breezy. Her adult characters would be at home in a Dahl novel but the reader never worries about the Fitzgerald Trouts, who are just too darn resourceful and and devoted to each other to raise any alarm bells. I adored their ingenuity and devotion to each other. Sydney Smith’s accompanying illustrations are spare and whimsical, like the island itself. This book is as summery as sand between your toes and sticky, melty-popsicle hands.

[Jill Jemmett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun story. I started to read the latest book in this series, but I couldn’t understand it because of the complicated relationships. I’m so glad that I went back to the beginning of the series, because it is a great introduction to the characters.

This story reminded me of A Series of Unfortunate Events. The Fitzgerald-Trout children live on their own, without their parents. The narrator is also a character in the same way as Lemony Snicket. However, the Fitzgerald-Trouts are not running away from a villain like Count Olaf.

I loved the unconventional family of the Fitzgerald-Trouts. All of the kids think of themselves as brothers and sisters, even though they aren’t all related. They have a mixture of four different parents, with some sharing a mother while others share a father. This family is complicated in an exaggerated way, but it is important to have these kinds of unconventional family structures in novels, especially kids books. Kids who read this story may see their own family reflected in some part of this family.

I loved this story! I’m excited to read the rest of the series!

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Actual rating is 4.5/5)

The Fitzgerald-Trouts are four loosely related children with two different mothers and two different fathers. Their family tree will have you wanting to draw a diagram to try to figure out and understand just how these children are related. Not only is their family tree complicated, their situation as a whole is even more mind boggling. Set in a lush tropical island, the Fitzgerald-Trouts were abandoned by all four parents to mostly fend for their own selves with only a car to call their “home.” Throughout the entire book, we follow the four Fitzgerald-Trout children go about their daily lives—from hanging out at the laundromat where they can watch T.V. to going to school where the classrooms are without walls or a roof—and their search for a house to finally call their proper home.

Right away in the very first chapter, we are smoothly introduced to each children: Kim, Kimo, Pippa and Toby. The readers are given an idea of what to expect from each character, personality-wise. Esta Spalding wastes no time bringing these main characters to life and that to me was something worth noting. Another impressive thing that made my reading experience enjoyable is how well Spalding introduced the fictional island. Aside from the brief map provided in the beginning of the book, I think Spalding painted an imagery of the island very beautifully, so much so that the island seemed to come to life as I read on.

While the Fitzgerald-Trouts’ story is very unique and unlike anything I’ve read about before, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the Baudelaire children (from A Series of Unfortunate Events). You can imagine it was no surprise to me when I found out that Lemony Snicket (the author of A Series of Unfortunate Events) actually has a little praise at the back cover of the book. Thinking about how unfortunate and heartbreaking the Fitzgerald-Trouts situation was brought me back to the days I read about the Baudelaire children and feeling absolutely sorry for them. It was difficult to not want the best for each children and for all of them to come out on top of all the tribulations they are faced with. With that being said, if you’re someone who grew up reading about the Baudelaire children (or someone who didn’t get to know them until their adulthood, like myself), then I guarantee you will appreciate this book just as much.

Despite this being a middle-grade book, I believe this would suit any adult reader. In an odd way, this book was actually very refreshing, humbling, and eye-opening. As I read on about the Fitzgerald-Trouts, I couldn’t help but think about the things I take for granted sometimes and the simple things that are often dismissed but actually lead to genuine happiness—like a roof over my head and a bed to sleep and dream in at the end of each day.

If you give the Fitzgerald-Trouts a chance, I can promise you that they will easily wiggle their ways into your heart and leave a tiny but significant mark. You will find yourself constantly rooting for these children and wanting the best for them. Like myself, you would probably end up wanting to take them into your own arms, shower them with love, tell them everything will be alright, and give them all that they have been neglected of. Not only will you feel humbled when you’ve put this book down, you will also be reminded to be kind and generous to those you meet (especially children), because a little kindness goes a long way, and an even longer way to those who are less fortunate.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I wanted to like this one but it all just fell flat for me. Also there were a number of things that bothered me about this book:

>Seriously, they live on a small island and yet not one adult on the entire island cares that these four children, from the time the oldest one was 8 years old, are living in a car? And later, an infant is added to the mix
-and adults beyond their "terrible parents" know/must know about the situation but not one on the entire island cares??? and yet, this is a place that is supposed to be almost utopian?!??

>an 11 year old cannot remember what happened when she was 5, 6, or even 7 years old?
-not even an event as big as moving from a house to a car?
-especially when earlier in the book there are details from the same character about just that event?

>the iguanas live only in the forest, and will only attack when one officially enters the forest, but not the people gathered on the edge of the forest?
-because iguanas can read signs and maps???

>the jail lets a prisoner - one in jail for financial fraud no less - keep her cell phone?

>police do repo work, and do it before the prisoner has gone to trial?

>yes, the weather is warm, but the school is open even though there is rain, and presumably wind?

>Who uses protractors to draw circles, especially as directed by a teacher?!?
-protractors are used to measure angles
-compasses are used to draw circles
-granted, the teacher is an adult who knows/should know the kids are living in a car and who apparently does not care, so maybe it's too much to ask that they know about math tools?

>What store leaves real shellfish out in its dining room displays?
-no one has allergies?
-there is no smell?
-they are unworried about vermin?
-seriously?

>How would driving through a forest and over roots everyday create less wear-and-tear on the car/tires than going by road from the beach to the school?
-yes, the road is pot-holed, but they need to drive on it after the forest too

Yes, I get that this book is aimed at much younger people than me, but Yes, these issues would have bothered me a great deal when I was that much younger.

Aside from all of that, the plot was bland, and the characters generally superficial stereotypes.

I am sad, I wanted to like this book but ended up feeling meh about it instead. I won't be looking up the next book in the series.

[Kent Kirker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I receive this as a giveaway from Goodreads, in exchange for fair review.

To start off with, I absolutely love the look and feel of this book. Complete with a blue font lettering and hued illustrations. I read this book and less than 24 hours, probably the quickest 200+ page read for me this year thus far. I have since imparted the gift of literacy, and given the book away to extended family.

The Fitzgerald-Trouts is in many ways a unique book, as well as an amalgam of others. First off Spalding's writing style/technique is very similar to that of Lemony Snicket's in the Series of Unfortunate Events. She refers to herself a lot while also writing about a group of misfortunate siblings. Essentially the main protagonists consists of Kim and Kimo, a twin sister and brother respectively and their young siblings Pippa and Toby. They're more step siblings than real full blooded ones, sharing four different parents among them. All four of them are living together in a green car in a beach parking lot having been abandoned by their parents. They rarely see them, and when they do it is to collect some money or other resources. They take it upon themselves to survive. Meaning, getting to school, washing their clothes, finding a house, etcetera. Along the way they hit some snags and innovate success in their own young minded ways.

The story was really reminiscent of Lewis Sacher's "Holes", and "The Boxcar Children Series" by Gertrude Chandler Warner. It reminded me of a sense of nostalgia for my younger grade school years. The Island theme was an awesome addition to the story. My only caveats were some fanatical situations the siblings find themselves in. That being said the theme of the story is that you may find your self in tough situations, and bad things may happen to you, but you have the power to move on, and left yourself above the fray with collaboration, and positive thinking/actions. Another great addition to the middle grade fiction genre.

[Debra Schoenberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book brought back so many memories of a story I read as a child. It was part of a Reader’s Digest Condensed book and was about a family who lived in their car close to a beach. I never forgot that story.

The Fitzgerald-Trout children are not your typical family set of siblings. They are all related, in a manner of speaking. Abandoned by their (many sets of) parents, the four children live together on the beach in a car. They get up in the morning, brush their teeth, go to school and even go to the laundromat to do their laundry. Realistic huh? Not really. But that doesn’t matter because you’re not a grown-up reading this book. You’re a 10 year old. And to a 10 year old – this rocks!

A sweet and fun story with a few plot twists to keep you interested right until the very end. I would recommend this sweet story as a bedtime storybook.

[Gail Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look Out for the Fitzgerald-Trouts reads like Lemony Snickets' A Series of Unfortunate Events. Just like the Baudelaire siblings, the Fitzgerald-Trouts have misadventures with no parents that look after them. They have learned to take care of themselves in a more mature way than the adults in their life. Unlike the Baudelaires, the Fitzgerald-Trouts have a happier life. They still have wants and needs like a house to live in instead of their car. You find yourself rooting for them all the way through the book. Is a sequel coming? The book ends with that possibility.
This was a very enjoyable read.
I won my copy from Goodreads. Thanks.

[Sarah Easley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. I am not a fan of this narrator-involved-in-the-story voice, and the antics of the children were too outlandish to be believable but not enough to be charming or compelling. For as interesting and complicated as the emotions of four practically-orphans might be, we glimpse almost none of their thoughts or feelings and get virtually no character development. I just don't get what the point of the book was?? There were enough threads dangling that I fear for a sequel, although I can't imagine why anyone would care to read it.

That said, this was recommended to me by a 4th grader, so I guess it appeals to the target audience.

[Rachel Seigel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fun story about a group of children with a complicated family tree who live by themselves in a car on a tropical island. The narrator's voice reminded me at times of Lemony Snicket, and this would make a great read-aloud. Completely unrealistic and impossible, but that doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the story.

[Literary Chanteuse · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fun story with four kids that will not be easily forgotten once you put the book down. A mix of charming and quirky characters while the over all story has a bit of mystery and adventure. This book certainly has the potential to become a middle grade favorite.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute middle grade romp. Can't wait to see where book two takes these kids!

[Christine H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a little under 4 stars for me.

If you’re looking for a story with characters that don’t fit neatly into a box, you might find a match with Look Out for the Fitzgerald-Trouts by Esta Spalding.

Squinklethoughts

1. I was really happy to encounter such a unique cast of characters in this story. They’re definitely not cookie-cutter protagonists. The four children – Kim, Kimo, Toby, and Pippa – find themselves thrown together by virtue of complicated parentage. They all share a mother or a father or both. This was a selling point for me, as I haven’t read enough stories where step-siblings get along with one another as these four do.

2. I love the setting of the island. Even though the kids live in a car, I like to imagine that they enjoy the weather and scenery on a regular basis. (I’d love to experience a warm rainfall on the beach of an island one day.) There’s also something about adventures being set on islands that I really like, although I’m not too fond of the show Lost or the novel Lord of the Flies.

3. This book was just okay for me, and this is the perfect example of a story that I felt lukewarm about but that my students loved. I mean … I had kids repeatedly asking for when the book would become available because their classmates really enjoyed the story. Just goes to show you, I guess.

4. One of the things I wasn’t too thrilled about was the way that the circumstances of the kids were treated very lightly. From time to time, Kim does stress over how to find a new place to live (because the kids are growing up and the car space is growing small), but I can’t imagine how the four of them get along the way they do without a home, even though (most of) their parents are still around. I mean, they live in a car with no reliable source of … practically anything. Maybe for the younger ones it’s really the only life they remember, but I don’t quite understand how they’re able to survive with the meagre allowance they get from their parents or how they’re able to live on a beach with no trouble from authority figures. The kids’ hardships were treated too lightly, almost trivially, for my liking, but for some of my students, this is exactly what they enjoyed. They liked that despite the Fitzgerald-Trouts’ circumstances, they still get through their days and find adventures in Ikea-type stores.

5. Spalding’s prose is very easy to get lost in. In spite of those struggle points mentioned above, I enjoyed immersing myself in the story of the children and life on the island. I read a few chapters aloud in class, and my students lapped them up.

6. The illustrations are gorgeous. They’re done by Sydney Smith whom I was really pleased to have met in January and who very graciously illustrated my copy with a palm tree (I LOVE palm trees), the beach, and the ocean. Check out his website for more eye candy.

7. I’m looking forward to the next book of this series, Knock About with the Fitzgerald-Trouts, which is slated for release in May 2017, because I do really want to know what happens to the kids. I felt rather cliffhangered at the end of this book, and my students felt the same. I’m hoping there’s a little more realism (when it comes to some of the heavy stuff) balanced with the adventures of the Fitzgerald-Trout clan. Oh, and I’m looking forward to exploring the island with the children once again.

This review was originally posted on my blog, Squinklebooks.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

James: The Fitzgerald-Trouts are four children who live in a green car for a while. After a long time the oldest one decides to follow a plan from a book called "The Awfuls." There are many items on her "to do" list. The last one is "find a house." They soon find an abandoned baby in the parking lot where their green car is. They were at the laundromat. They take care of it. They know it doesn't have a mother and that its father abandoned it.
Going back to their plan from "The Awfuls:" The older sister wants to follow the plot, so they go through a forest known for its blood-sucking iguanas. No-one is brave enough to go through it. (They knew a story from a kid at school who actually got bit by one of them.) They cover their car with spikes to protect it from the iguanas. At the end of the forest they find their father's cabin at Wabo Point. It's called Wabo Point because it is shaped like a dog's head. They wondered how people originally got to this island. Some thought maybe it was by big canoes. Their father is lost at sea because he made one of those canoes and set off to prove how his ancestors had sailed across the sea. Now they found what looks like the wreck of a space ship and a group of people think now they think maybe people knew it's shaped like a dog's head because they saw it from the sky. Then they learned that when they climbed the mountain on the island (searching for ginkoh plants) that they could see the dog head shape from up there.
At the end of the book Kim thought maybe she saw a white sail with a red dog's head. This means that maybe their father might come back.
I would read the next book in the series because I like it.

Mom's note: I only read the first chapter and suspect this was aimed at an older audience, but he made it through and was able to tell me what you see above.

[Munro's Kids · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I didn't want to enjoy this book, but (grumble grumble) I did. Quite a lot. It was fun, well written and trucked along quite well plot-wise. The end wrapped up in a pretty simplistic shoe-horned way, but I gave it a pass as the rest sparkled so brightly.

The Fitzgerald-Trouts are a family of 4 kids who have 4 terrible parents between them. As a result of these negligent adults, they live out of a small car on their tropical island. Kim is the oldest, and first on her to-do list is to get them a house. However, this is proving more frustrating than she first thought.

SOME people are claiming that this is a relatively light, but worthwhile look at homelessness and poverty. I say that that is pretty much BS. If you want a good book to deal with that, go read Crenshaw by Applegate. What this is good at is being like old sibling adventury-type books (see, for example the work of: Enid Blyton, Elizabeth Enright, Edith Nesbit... wow that is a lot of E's now that I look at it!). These show hardship, but in such a frothy, adventure-y way that one feels like it must be a romp to be in those fraught situations. Everyone in the story gets down a little here and there, but ultimately everything is so safe that it doesn't feel uncomfortable or dangerous. Not really any lessons. Which is fine. Books do not have to have lessons. And once I decided that this was true about the Fitzgerald-Trouts, I liked it even more.

The other thing I will say is that it had a lot of intangible echoes of Holes, (and one big tangible one in the form of deadly lizards). It was not nearly as good (NOTHING is as good as Holes), but it had some of the same aesthetic going on.

-Kirsten

[Marathon County Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Look Out for the Fitzgerald-Trouts" is a book you feel like you’ve dreamed up. Its realistic elements are: the four Fitzgerald-Trout children need to go to school, they need to eat, they need to do laundry and - most importantly - they need a better place to live. Its fantastical twist is: they have two terrible mothers and two (or three) awful fathers who left them to live in a little green car by the beach and only visit occasionally to hand them money and say things like: “do your homework” and “I’m terribly busy.” As in a dream, the fantastic premise is combined with incredibly practical problems. Kim, as the eldest, drives the little green car, but because she can’t reach the petals, one of the fathers has made her shoes with cans strapped to the bottom to wear while driving. The children have to take turns passing Toby’s pet goldfish around the car while driving over the island’s bumpy roads or he will splash out of the bowl!

I was immediately rooting for things to go right for these siblings. Not only does this story have literary merit in the way the author uses storytelling, language, and humor, the plot is also not too predictable and fake. The first solution to come along doesn’t always work out and the children don’t always win. 

There are (so far) two more books in which you get to read about Kim’s to-do lists, Pippa’s frightening laugh, Kimo’s push-ups, Toby gambling his milk tokens at school, and Penny, the newest Fitzgerald-Trout: "Knock About with the Fitzgerald-Trouts" and "Shout Out for the Fitzgerald-Trouts."

Elizabeth L. / Marathon County Public Library

[J Carney · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books break the children’s genre in the best way. The premise is a twist on the common formula where the kids’ parents die or are otherwise out of the picture, and the kids get whisked off on some magical journey full of treasures, monsters and discovering their own destiny.

Instead of dying, the Fitzgerald-Trout’s parents are just “terrible”, and leave the kids to fend for themselves in an old car and occasionally even steal from or exploit them. This leaves the kids to face the least magical of adult problems alone - laundry, cooking, feeding five kids with a paltry budget, domestic squabbles, and, the main quest, finding a home.

They certainly have adventures, and find treasures and monsters, but they accomplish everything through their own wits and determination in the face of many challenging logistical, financial, and often legal obstacles.

Does it sound like something a four year old would like? Not to me. Has my four year old made us read each of these three, three-hundred page books with almost no pictures four times each since the summer, to the exclusion of all other books? Yes.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am always looking for good books to read aloud to my three (ages 12, 10, and 7 1/2) and and am going to keep reading out loud to my kids as long as they will let me. As you can imagine, sometimes it's a challenge to find one book that fits all that will engage and enthrall this age range and I often fall back on the comfortable classics from my own childhood. This new book by Esta Spalding passed the test and was a hit with our family. It is about four loosely related children with terrible parents who live out of their car and fend for themselves and is amusing and poignant.

[Niki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four loosely related siblings live in a old car. These resourceful children, full of personality, dream of living in a real house after being abandoned due to terrible parenting and being "terribly busy". Waffling between being forced to act like grown ups and having carefree fun like a child, the children all function in their island community, and even miraculously, solve many of their problems. A quirky, cute story for young readers.

"Look out for the Fitzgerald-Trouts" is the first in a series.

Short-listed for the 2018 MYRCA.

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting take on the orphaned kids trope, as these kids parent's aren't dead, just terrible and absent. The Fitzgerald-Trouts are a blended family going through life in an absurd situation (they live in their car despite several of their parents being alive and well on their island and having plenty of money), and the oldest of them is 11 years old (Kim. She drives the car.) It's a good read despite this absurdity, and my son really enjoyed it.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four children - the oldest is preteen and the youngest is in kindergarten - two girls and two boys, live in a small car on a tropical island. All their parents are absent, not trustworthy, so the children consider themselves a family and count on the money the mothers bring them once in a while. Otherwise, they fend for themselves. Their biggest dream is to find a house they can call home. When they go exploring in a very dangerous unpopulated area of the island they make amazing discoveries.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give it a 2.5, but I read it to my son (6yo) and he enjoyed it, probably about a 3.5, so I'm averaging it a 3. The book did get better as it went on, but over all, I wasn't taken in and the whole thing just didn't work for me. The story was something of a cross between Boxcar Children (which I LOVED as a child) and Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events (which I found pretty darn funny as an adult), but didn't have the appeal of either.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a quirky little book! I think young readers would like the idea of four loosely related siblings living without the aid of grown ups. Acting both responsibly and like the kids that they are, the Fitzgerald-Trouts offer up a delightful story about trying to make their way on their island despite the adults who are too irresponsible or too busy for them.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

My eight-year old and I read this together. It was quirky and imaginative sort of children's fiction where the children are responsible and the parents are negligent. My eight-year old thought that the characters and scenarios were interesting and humorous at times, but he wasn't as emotionally connected to them as he has with other books.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

S enjoyed this book a lot. I think it's harder for an adult to read and enjoy because of the suspension of disbelief required: the children are living on an island fancy enough to have an IKEA and multimillionaire stockbrokers, but they don't have a DCFS competent enough to notice or care that a group of children are living out of (and driving around in) a car for years on end?

[Tracy Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun family, though a smidge unbelievable. Parents drop off babies and money for older siblings to manage on their own, but I loved their fierce determination to be better than their parents and to stick together through all the difficulties. Can't wait to see what happens to this island tribe in the next book!

[Jessica Sadler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an easy and very enjoyable read. More than the story, I’ve spent more time learning about Esta Spalding. I had not read one of her books till now. I’ve come to realize some of the things taking place in this book are rooted in her upbringing. I think this is what makes the Fitzgerald-Trout children so real and pleasant to read about. Nice book for a younger audience or even a read aloud.