Pine Island Home

By: Jamie Steinberg

At first it was a bit difficult for me to dive into Pine Island Home. Sure, this is a work of fiction, but the premise of four little girls losing their parents and being forced to uproot their lives to move into a home where they fake having a guardian pushes my limits. However, author Polly Horvath makes each of these little ladies so lovable and investable that by the time I reached the middle of the book I thought, “Huh. I guess I do like this book.” As hesitant as I was initially, do take your time to turn each page and find yourself hooked on a happy ending for these precious girls.

Fiona (14), Natasha (12), Marlin (10) and Charlie (8) used to live in Borneo with their religious-minded mother and father. That is until their parents pass away in a tsunami. Unable to find anyone to look after them, they are stuck moving to British Colombia to live with their spinster great aunt who has had no contact with her family for quite some time. However, when the girls arrive, they are met with another loss that leaves them living in their Great Aunt Martha’s home unsupervised. The only adult they have to “look after” them is a curmudgeon neighbor named Al who is willing to help them stay in their home and play fake guardian in exchange for a weekly $20 allowance of beer money and the opportunity to eat a nightly homemade meal courtesy of Marlin. What follows is a day-to-day effort to avoid social services separating the girls and the ever-aggravating Mr. Pennypacker – their aunt’s attorney who is constantly seeking proof that they were actually left in the care of Al.

As I noted, I found it a bit hard to invest in this scheme that has four young girls living by themselves with limited supervision. Sure, they have the local principal that comes weekly to check on their home environment (she’s their lone compassionate connection that knows their secret), but really what if they got sick or injured? Al is not known for being overly helpful so would it cost them to have him rush them to the hospital? However, it seems the girls are fairly lucky in that aspect. Plus, with all of the loss and trauma these girls have experienced I was surprised the principal doesn’t encourage the girls to see the school counselor and have them at least get a little bit of therapy as an outlet for all of the trauma they’ve experienced.

Regardless of my qualms over the fantastic nature of the premise, Pine Island Home is a sweet read. The girls are so closely tied to one another, and each have their own personality that you can truly resonate and find a special place in your heart for each one. Pick up this young adult read and find yourself rooting for four young ladies who may live alone, but aways have one another to love and lean on.