Home Sweet Home

The Callahan Cousins #2

by Elizabeth Doyle Carey

The Callahan cousins are back for the second installment of their vacation on Gull Island. Grandmother Gee has given the girls permission to fix up their very own quarters separate from the main house, and Neeve stumbles upon a troubling family secret.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction

208 pages, Hardcover

First published September 7, 2005

About the author

Liz Carey is the author of 43 published books for young readers. She was also the Publisher and co-founder of Dunemere Books, a boutique publisher of travel fiction; a former children's book editor (Golden Books, Workman, Planet Dexter) and bookseller (The Harvard Bookstore in Cambridge, MA). Liz lives on Long Island with her husband, three sons, a high-maintenance cat named Yankee and a chunky Pug named Noolah. Please visit www.elizabethdoylecarey.com.

Reviews

[Carolynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second in the Callahan Cousin series of books, set on the fictional Gull Island on the Atlantic Ocean. Neeve, Hillary, Phoebe, and Kate are setting up the rooms known as "The Dorm" to be their summer home, a bit apart from their grandmother's house. Neeve has ideas to make the Dorm trendy and sophisticated, Kate wants it simple and classic.

The descriptions of the girls' domestic arrangements will be fun for anyone who enjoyed _Dandelion Cottage_, _Two Are Better Than One_, _Maida's Little House_, or _Five on a Merry-go-round_. And of course there is the continued conflict with snooty Sloan Bicket, which comes a little closer to a resolution in this book--sort of. A new story is Neeve's discovery of a long ago mystery involving a beautiful Gull Island girl and Neeve's own father. Look for this in your library (I found it in the Concord Library in Massachusetts).

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute midgrade series about 4 twelve year-old girl cousins who gather at their grandma's ("Gee") house on Gull Island for a summer vacation. Gee gives them permission to move into the "Dorm", an apartment separate from the big house. While working on redecorating it, Neeves comes across a wedding photo of her dad- only the bride isn't her Ireland-born mother! The cousins eventually learn the story but have to deal with the antics of the snooty girl who lives nearby who thinks she knows it all.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these books. So wholesome and fun, they remind me of childhood!

[Danielle Routh · Rating 2 out of 5]

So this is clearly going to be one of those series that repeats all the information from prior books instead of trusting that the reader can remember what's happened and who's who. Seriously, 50% of this book is exposition that is not necessary in the slightest, even if you haven't read the first one. I also thought the plot of this one was a lot weaker than the first--seriously, Neeve thought her dad killed his first wife? That was legitimately her first thought as to what happened to the mysterious first wife? Maybe I'm a bit desensitized because my dad was married to another woman before my mom and it was never a big secret in my family, but give your dad some credit, Neeve. It's also way too easy to see plot twists and future events coming. I get this is a middle grade series, but that doesn't mean the writing needs to be lazy.

Also, having Phoebe call Kate a "mindless twit" and everyone laughing? Not cool.

2025: Yeah, this is definitely the weakest of the series. I get it, I get it, there needs to be plot, but there's really no reason for Neeve to just not ask Gee about the picture she finds. Neeve is also my least favorite of the cousins, though.

[Jenben8426 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second of four in the Callahan Cousin series. This time the story of the cousins summer is continued through the eyes of Neeve Callahan: a fun, spunky, and stylish world traveler. After planting the flag in the previous book, Grandma Gee surprises the girls with a chance to live in the "dorm." A fun fort/guest house outside of the big house. But when Neeve comes across a family secret, she must face whether she really knows her father and the "dorm" may not come together as planned.

I liked this book better than the first, perhaps because all the unimportant details were in the first so that allowed more of the story to shine through. There are parts where I thought the girls were acting totally like 8 year olds instead of the 12 year olds they are supposed to be which had me a bit annoyed, but overall they acted okay.

I would recommend this book to my four 10-11 year old nieces. In fact these girls' adventures totally remind me of Brittany, Jessica, Kaylee, and Rebekah!

[Annabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. Maybe just a tad young for our agegroup, but still. This series is about four VERY different cousins, Pheobe, Neeve, Kate, and Hillary. They are at their grandma Gee's house and go through many adventures there! It is so much fun to read. Just a pleasant little story. Very good.

[Sereta F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute story I remember from when I was a kid. It includes so many of the feelings of growing up as a girl, only you get to experience it now with a strong cousin bond such as the Callahan girls have.

[Em]

I love these books so much!

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but not as good as the first "cousin" book.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute and sweet.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to audio version

[Lulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

not as good as the first, but still, pretty good.