Review of “Welcome Home or Someplace Like It,” by Charlotte Agell
“Welcome Home or Someplace Like It,” by Charlotte Agell is a realistic fiction novel about a young girl who finds herself living with her grandfather in a small town in Maine.
Aggie B. Wing and her brother Thorne aren’t particularly excited about moving to Maine. After living in Port Chester, New York they are sure that Maine will be rather dull in comparison. But their famous mother, a writer of romance novels, is determined to drop them off for the summer to live with their ninety-one-year-old grandfather.
Ludwig, Maine has a population of 159 and one general store with a sign that says “Ardis’s Quikstop.” Aggie has an open mind though. She plans to enjoy her summer and document her explorations and adventures in notebook #27, the latest in a series of drawing notebooks that contains her entire life experiences.
Before long, though, Aggie and Thorne find themselves at Grandpa’s house. Grandpa looks like a character out of some old black and white movie, and he seems just a little senile. Nonetheless, Aggie and Thorn’s mother leaves them there and sets off for Niagara Falls. She claims that she needs to do some on location “research” for the latest romance novel she writing.
At first Aggie and Thorne just mope around, but Ludwig, Main won’t let them do that! Aggie soon finds a friend. Madeleine is a few years older than Aggie and she is interested in biology. She studies plants and insects, goes clamming in the mudflats, and has a boat. Before long Madeleine is showing Aggie around Ludwig. But what Aggie most wants to explore is the mysterious Cat Island, a strange island seemingly just off shore. Stories abound about this island, but Aggie wants to see it for herself.
Meanwhile Thorne is working at the local church. Our Lady of the Wilderness isn’t your typical church. Especially not when you consider that the Reverend rides into church on a motorcycle. But before the summer is out Our Lady of the Wilderness will be home to a strange miracle that attracts national television crews.
Aggie and Thorne have plenty to do but as the weeks pass and their mother’s “research” drags on they begin to wonder when she plans to return.
“Welcome Home or Someplace Like It,” by Charlotte Agell is an amusing story. The adventures and antics of Thorne and Aggie keep the storyline interesting. Along the way Charlotte Agell teaches readers lessons about how to treat older people and about miracles.
I recommend “Welcome Home or Someplace Like It” to all young readers interested in a peaceful summertime novel.
Books For Sale Rating:
Plot
CharactersPresentationOverall