The Exiles at Home

I recently finished the second book in Hilary McKay's Exiles trilogy, titled "The Exiles at Home." I had enjoyed the previous title in the series ("The Exiles") well enough, and this one was even better. I think the Bastable children (created by author Edith Nesbit) will always be my favourites in the "goofy-group-of-children-who-always-are-getting-into-trouble" genre, but I did warm up to the Conroy sisters a bit more in this book. They came across as a shade more likeable and less self-involved in this story (as compared to the first), primarily because all of their misadventures were the result of their trying to help others. This book is also more tightly plotted than was "The Exiles," which was a loose collection of "what we did on our summer holidays" stories. "The Exiles at Home" shows the sisters uniting to achieve a particular goal, and even manages to work in a bit of pathos towards the end; rather touching. But in general the mood of the story was very humourous, and I did find myself chuckling out loud now and again as I read the story. Hmmm, speaking of the Bastable children, in a way this book has a theme similar to Nesbit's "The Story of the Treasure Seekers," in that the children are desparate to make money, and carry out many ill-advised schemes to that end...

Pay no attention to the School Library Journal review, which describes this book's conflict as "single and simple." Exiles at Home is instead a rich and complex and laugh-out-loud great book. The Conroy sisters, first introduced in The Exiles (because they are sent to spend the summer, "in exile," with their Big Grandma) must come up with 10 pounds a month to send for the education of a boy they have promised to sponsor in Africa. Their increasingly frantic attempts to raise the money involve them in bank robbery (what they think is bank robbery, anyway), an ill-advised kind of catering service (they make "squashy" marmalade sandwiches in the only private place they can find, the dog's kennel, and then sell them to the other kids at school, especially to a desperate character they call "The Thin One"), and some very questionable babysitting tactics (when baby Peter shows signs of learning good behavior and therefore outgrowing the need for their services, they remind him of how to get dirty and mash his food into his hair). And you will meet other wonderful characters along the way, including Joseck, the boy in Africa, Toby and Emma, the elderly couple who employ the girls as gardeners, and the fabulous Big Grandma herself. I am a school librarian and my sixth grade teachers have asked me to recommend a new readaloud title--this is it, hands-down, my number one recommendation.

Problems start for Ruth Conroy when she secretly decides to sponser a young boy in Africa so that he can go to school. Tyring to raise ten pounds a month is not as simple as she first thought, though, and so she has to let her sister, Naomi into the secret and together they come up with wierd and wonderful ways to earn the money. The Little Ones, Rachel and Phoebe aren't kept out of the secret for long though, and decide to help by selling sandwiches at school, which are made in next door's dog kennell! This hirarious book is a must for all lovers of 'The Exiles'.