Wild Geese Flying

by Cornelia Meigs, Charles Geer (Illustrator)

The Milton family, after years of traveling around, settles on a farm in Vermont but, to their surprise, the townspeople refuse to accept them.

"In another fine contemporary story for this age group, Cornelia Meigs proves herself a writer deeply concerned with moral values and capable of building an excellent narrative around them. The central character is 12 year old Dick Milton who has come with his mother and young brothers and sisters to Jefferson, a small New England town, while Mr. Milton is in South America. Dick's grandfather, Roger Devons, had been a much beloved and respected man in the community. But a feeling of antipathy among the neighbors, is evident from the start. At a loss to explain it, Dick talks to a new friend, Jerry Stewart, who has just returned to Jefferson from navy duty and who promises to help. The mystery is ordinary, involving Jerry and the dead Roger Devons in unexpected ways. But the solving also reveals the social temper of a town, its families and a boy growing up." (Kirkus)

Genres: Childrens, Fiction

194 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1957

Reviews

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

No stranger to Newbery awards (including three Honors, and the 1934 Medal for Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women), Cornelia Meigs wrote many novels, and Wild Geese Flying is one of her better-known that didn't win a major prize. When your father is a government scientist, your family could be asked to relocate at any time, as twelve-year-old Dick Milton knows. After his father is sent to South America indefinitely, the Miltons move to a large house deep in rural New England, a house owned until recently by Mrs. Milton's father, who passed away. Dick, his inventive ten-year-old brother Roddy, and their younger sisters Bella and Anne like the area, but are concerned by the locals. They seem to have erected an emotional barrier against the Miltons, an unspoken agreement that the family isn't to be welcomed. The kids and their mother are hurt but try not to dwell it, until Dick meets Jerry Stewart, a young man walking in the woods. Jerry has an idea what the problem is, but isn't ready to say; he promises they'll get to the bottom of the mystery somehow. It's the best hope the Miltons have.

While most neighbors quietly shun Dick's family, he finds a few friendly faces up near a gorgeous lake that sits in solitude as a wildlife refuge. The Usher family lives in the vicinity, including a teenage boy named Sam who hardly hesitates to make Dick feel welcome. The Usher kids are warm toward Dick and his siblings, even if their mother is less so. It turns out that Roger Devons, Mrs. Milton's father, was beloved by all, a money handler trusted for his honesty and financial acumen. The reason the townsfolk have hesitated to embrace the Miltons is a financial misunderstanding that took on serious dimensions after Mr. Devons's death. The locals want to hold his family at arm's length until the matter is sorted out, but find it difficult to not follow the Ushers' example and welcome the cheery, helpful new tenants of the Devons house. Before long the mansion feels like home to the Miltons.

Dick has run-ins at school with Rob Dale, a smart boy born into poverty. Rob's ambitions might not be possible if he can't afford higher education, but his behavior makes it hard to sympathize. Most everyone eventually thaws toward the Miltons, but the problem of Mr. Devons's missing investment doesn't go away; where did the $15,000 entrusted to him end up after his death? If he lost the money then his house should not have been bequeathed to relatives, it should have gone to the man who bore the loss. Mrs. Milton decides that if the money isn't discovered by summer, her family will relinquish the Devons house in lieu of the money and and move away, a scenario they dread. The town has become their home, its people their friends; will the Miltons ever have a place to settle down and not feel like vagabonds? Personal connections with their neighbors are still to be formed, ties that no financial dispute could unbind, but the truth of the investment matter is known by an individual who has yet to admit their own involvement. Will the dilemma be resolved if Dick can identify this person?

Wild Geese Flying is a wholesome story, depicting a town that isn't easy to forget. I love Roddy, and would have been pleased if he were the main character: his creativity, risk-taking spirit, and earnest loyalty are ample cause to adore him. His idea to run a printing press in his basement improves the way everyone in town receives news, and is vital in softening their stance on the Miltons. Roddy alone makes Wild Geese Flying worth the read, and there's more than just him to enjoy. This is a comfortable, old-fashioned novel with just enough action and suspense; I might rate the book two and a half stars, and I hope it continues being read by those willing to immerse themselves in the world of a bygone generation. You'll be richer for it.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found the hardcover with dust jacket for $2...definitely worth grabbing! I'm looking forward to this story...

1/3/16
A little gem, mostly forgotten. It's a children's book from almost sixty years ago, and tells the story of a young family who goes to live in the house their grandfather left to their mother while their father is in South America. The story mostly focuses on the adventures of the two boys, with their mother taking a large role and their two little sisters a small one. They make friends in the new town, but for the most part the adults are standoffish and seem to resent their coming. There's a mystery about some investments their grandfather made before his death, and the town seems to hold it against them. Can they win the heart of the town, or must they fly away in the spring like the wild geese?

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very slow paced book in the sense of really long chapters, however, many of those chapters end on cliffhangers which posed a problem for us when we only had time to read a chapter at a time. Consequently it took a long time to make our way through this book because we had forgotten what we read the previous time when it was picked up again. My overall rating may have been different if I read it all the way through.

My favorite sub storyline was probably Roddy's printing press.

"...the rolls of silk and the little bundles of velvet and lace which gather in everyone's attic on the distant chance that they will be used again some day, but whose existence has generally been forgotten by the time that possible day arrives." pg 45

"When you work so hard on something it seems to be more yours than by any other way." pg 56

"Planting often sounds very easy and then turns out harder and longer than it has looked to be." pg 147

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good, with lots of good, moral examples. Not a great book, though, as the characters were too superficial — you never really got to know them. Not as good as other Weekly Reader books I’ve read.

[Rodger · Rating 2 out of 5]

A family moves into an inherited house and everyone in town treats them oddly. Midway, they figure out why, but it's a little bit of a mystery as to what happened, and that is solved at the end of the book.

[Ejayen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a slow read for me, but upon thought I've figured it out. Read a chapter before bed, enjoy an adventure and uncover the over arcing mystery.
(It'd make a great single season tv show)

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a standard plot. Good illustrations against judging people based on first impressions.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good old-fashioned family life. Deals with realistic problems.