My daughter and I loved this second installment of Pine Island! We loved following up with favorite characters and loved spending time with new ones.

This is an ARC review and these are my honest thoughts and opinions. This book is made me want to read every book in the Pine Island series! The characters are all so thought out and well rounded, made me feel like I knew them all personally. The laughter and smiles I gave while reading this book were non stop.
I want to say thank you to Netgalley, and Polly for my ARC to read and review. As always ,please check the TW!


Read this if you like:
- funny
- heartwarming

This book begins by continuing the fun premise of the first book, what if these four kids had to look after themselves with minimal help. It kind of gets turned on its head with the arrival of more adults, neither of whom make things better. I think the adult characters make the story less interesting. I enjoyed it when they were minimized.

I've never read a Pine Island book, and I realize I now need to read more! Polly Horvath makes such relatable characters going through such a hard time in life, and it helps a reader connect with the story. Being an eldest sibling, I connected quickly with Fiona and could empathize with the struggles she went through. I would also argue about paying bills, keeping things in order, and protecting my siblings.

I can't wait to read the other books and hope there is more to the series! Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC.

I didn't realize this was a sequel but I like nang reviewers enjoyed it. It was a sweet story of sisters and the difference that help and hinder us.

I requested this book before I realised that it is a sequel so before reading it, I bought the first (in what I hope will be a long series) and while this isn't necessary, I am glad I did. The author explains enough in the second book for everything to make sense but, I wouldn't want to miss the chance to be in this world for longer than just one book.

The story follows four very different sisters, aged 15, 13, 11 and 9, who live sort of with their recently appointed guardian, Al, following the deaths of their parents in a tsunami on holiday. Just before the new school year begins, Mrs Weatherspoon, a lady from the church who had cared for them immediately after their parents had died, announces that she is coming to stay. The girls have mixed feelings about this, now that they are more settled, not least because they are unsure where she will sleep in their new home but things get worse still, when it seems that Mrs Weatherspoon has brought a friend, Jo, with her at the last minute.

I loved these books and hope that there will be more. They feel quite strange to read, almost like What Katy Did, Anne of Green Gables or Little Women in terms of when they're set, but then there will be a reference to an email, taking a photo on a mobile (cell) phone or Aunt Martha's MacBook Air and I'll remember that we're in the present day. This doesn't feel wrong though and was, I felt, gave the characters depth, by showing the ongoing influence of the simple life that the family had before the parents died, where they travelled a lot with the church and lived in remote places without much in the way of material possessions.

All in all, great setting and description, brilliant characters and a good story. I just hope there are more but for now, I'm off to explore the author's extensive back catalogue!

In an excellent sequel to Pine Island Home, Polly Horvath reunites us with with the four McCready siblings. After the unexpected death of their great-aunt, the four already-orphaned girls initially went through a difficult time trying to keep a secret the fact that there was no adult guardian around to look after them.

Now there is a new equilibrium, with the four girls living in their great-aunt's small home, after having been adopted by their curmudgeonly neighbour Al. They are enjoying the time spent with each other, and have settled into their routines.

Even their concerns are, if somewhat concerning, still reassuringly normal - from the eldest girl Fiona's tensions with their guardian Al over who is paying the bills, to just-turned-thirteen year old Marlin's isolation at school and her worries that her first cookbook (she already has plans for more) has not so far succeeded in finding a publisher. Not to mention shy Natasha's new passion for the violin, and youngest child Charlie's determination that the dog they get should be a smooth collie.

But all is thrown into disarray when they expectedly hear from Mrs Witherspoon, who generously looked after them when their parents died in Borneo. She now plans to come and visit them for a long stay - a minimum of 3 months!

And if that were not bad enough, who Mrs Witherspoon brings with her is the real nightmare. Bossy, opinionated Jo is Mrs Witherspoon's toxic friend, who likes to tell everyone what to do and whom the girls universally - and entirely understandably - take a violent dislike to...

This is a really enjoyable story, with a timeless feel about it. The personalities of the four girls are very nicely and effectively differentiated, allowing us to get to know them better quite quickly. Their struggle between wanting to be kind to Mrs Witherspoon and finding Jo maddeningly repulsive is quite relatable. All in all, this is entertaining storytelling and well worth a read.

I really enjoyed this delightful funny novel.
I finished it in a day because it was so very good!
I honestly really didn't like Jo. I thought she was bossy and had no right to be. Ugh! I really dislike people like that. Especially when they're uninvited. At least in my opinion.
I had to laugh at the girls' antics and I totally didn't blame them for what they did! Laugh out loud. So glad I choose this book!
The cover is what made me want to jump in and read it.
I have to go back and read the first one now. This story was just too cute.
5 stars for a job well done! I highly recommend this book.
I'm thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

It's a pleasure to return to Pine Island. When last we left the McCready girls, they had managed to finagle a curmudgeonly neighbor into acting as their guardian and had settled into the house of their great-aunt Martha.

This novel takes up the travails of the four orphaned girls the following autumn, as Fiona starts high school. Their challenges are not unexpected: Fiona feels awkward around the boy she stood up last spring and resists the new English teacher, Marlin is struggling with having her cookbook (30 Recipes a 12-year-old Could Cook and Did) being rejected by publisher after publisher while also being bullied by her classmates. Shy Natasha is taking up the violin, and little Charlie just wants a puppy. They need a new couch after a "lender dog" pees on it. It's a poignant and funny life they lead.

Then comes a letter: sweet Mrs. Weatherspoon, the missionary who took care of them in Borneo after their parents died, wishes to come visit. The girls don't really want a houseguest, but how can they say no?

When Mrs. Weatherspoon arrives in company of a truly awful friend, Jo, that's when Horvath's particular genius comes into play. It's not enough that sweet Mrs. Weatherspoon will be staying for months--her friend Jo is one of those manipulative and drama-seeking people who has the power to make everyone miserable. Jo is not exactly evil, but her position as an adult gives her the dreary ability to meddle and make each of the four girls' lives worse.

The girls, especially the older two, Fiona and Marlin, have to figure out how to survive this latest challenge to their happiness. The delicacy and subtlety of how Fiona and Marlin each learns how to cope with this kind of toxic person (which, Horvath gently suggests, is an eternal constant of human interaction) is masterful. This is the kind of thoughtful, heart-wrenching novel I would have read over and over as a young reader, for the pleasure of seeing the McCready girls succeed. Polly Horvath is a treasure!

It's a must-have for anyone who liked Pine Island Home, but stands alone as a compelling and entertaining novel for young readers.

Thanks to NetGalley, Margaret Ferguson Books, and Holiday House for the eARC in exchange for my unfettered opinion.

In this sequel to Pine Island Home, we revisit the McCready sisters, who are adjusting to their new life next door to their guardian Al. They are contacted by Mrs Weatherspoon who needs a place to stay, and despite Al suggesting they say no, the girls allow it.
However this soon backfires as Mrs Weatherspoon has brought a friend, Jo, along with her. Jo is very opinionated and bothers the girls. They then extend their stay even longer and the girls must try and figure out how they can get rid of these unwanted house guests.

This is a good sequel for those who enjoyed the first book.

In this sequel to Pine Island Home, the McCready sisters have settled into their home with Al, their neighbor, who adopted them. The girls find out Mrs Weatherspoon wants to visit them until January; Al says to say no. They figure she gave up a year to help them, we will help her now.. When she gets off the plane they find she brought a visitor, Jo. Jo winds up being extremely bossy and opinionated. The girls find they are irritated with Jo and Mrs Weatherspoon doesn’t seem to mind. Jo ruins Thanksgiving, she gets cats instead of dogs, and she cooks vegan all the time, and now they may stay until June. The girls come up with an idea on how to encourage Jo and Mrs Weatherspoon to leave, but it will cost money. Does their idea work?