This was a very enjoyable old fashioned book. I'll look for others by this author. I did sort of wonder where the Farrar's parents were and how the children came to be in Myra's care. Perhaps these things were explained in an earlier book. Things got tied up remarkably well in the end. I did wish for a little more of a comeuppance for one character than was forthcoming, but not a big deal. Lovely illustrations by Ruth Gervis. I think my Vintage Book Circle pals would love this one. Too bad it is so hard to come by. ( )

A mildly enjoyable book. There are some real loose ends (so what happened when she lit up her candles again?), and it's rather conveniently shoehorned into the children's holidays, but overall a fun read. The characters are a little sketchy - I had real difficulty remembering which mother was Thompson and which was Johnson, for instance, or which children belonged to which family - but the Farrars are all distinct (very much so! especially Jimmy, managing fellow...), and several of the other children stood out (Lily, and Fred. And Steve, for the wrong reasons). The other thing that bothered me is that this is clearly the second or third in a series (LT tells me, second in a series of 4); there are a lot of references to their previous holidays with Aunt Myra, including Roly, who shows up only at the end here but is repeatedly referenced throughout the book (well, it's his house they're staying in). Now I'm on a quest to complete the series...I think knowing them for longer might make each story richer. And I did enjoy the story, it just felt a bit thin. ( )

A group of siblings spend their summer holidays staying in the country with their very cool aunt Myra, whose favorite answer to their many requests is "Well, I don't see why not?" They get a surprise message that the country estate they're staying on will be home to a small group of London evacuees, and thus starts their adventures in fixing up the place in preparation and then all their hard work to keep their new guests healthy and happy.

What a lovely story this is: boisterous and generally happy and well-adjusted kiddos helping their London charges adjust and then thrive in their new country setting, with just the right amount of grumpy adults and childhood mischief mixed in. I absolutely loved it. ( )