Look out for the Fitzgerald-Trouts

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Title:

Author:

Spalding, Esta, author.

Smith, Sydney, 1980- illustrator.

Series:

Fitzgerald-Trouts ;

Series Number:

Summary:

"The Fitzgerald-Trouts are four barely related siblings living together in a small car on a lush tropical island, but when they begin to outgrow their small vehicle, they must band together to find a new home"-- Provided by publisher.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

245 pages : illustrations ; 20 cm

Subject Term:

Homeless persons -- Juvenile fiction.

Brothers and sisters -- Juvenile fiction.

Families -- Juvenile fiction.

Automobiles -- Juvenile fiction.

Islands -- Juvenile fiction.

Author(s):

Smith, Sydney, 1980-

Publisher:

Little, Brown and Company,

Publication Date:

2016

ISBN:

9780316298582

9781770498761

Publication Information:

New York ; Boston : Little, Brown and Company, 2016.

Call Number:

J SPALDIN

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003178384	Juvenile Fiction	SPALDIN	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

The Fitzgerald-Trouts are four barely-related siblings living together in a small car on a lush tropical island. They are wonderfully self-reliant, but they are out-growing their small vehicle, and must band together to find a new home. A quick, delightful, and deeply resonant read, here is a beautifully imagined adventure where children live remarkable, independent lives despite some terrible grown-ups in their midst. These extraordinary siblings offer evidence that kids could get along just fine--they wouldn't even argue much with their siblings--if only grown ups left them alone.

Author Notes

Esta Spalding has lived in Hawaii, Toronto and Vancouver. Her collections of poetry include Carrying Place, Anchoress and Lost August. She is the co-author (with her mother, Linda Spalding) of a novel, Mere. Her latest collection of poems is The Wifes Account, which bears detailed witness to one year in the life of a marriage.

Her first book, Carrying Place, was nominated for the Gerald R. Lampert Award and her second, Anchoress, was a finalist for the Canadian Booksellers Association Libris Award for Best Specialty Book of the Year. Her third book, Lost August won the Pat Lowther Memorial Award. She is the editor of The Griffin Poetry Prize Anthology.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 4-6-Author and screenwriter Spalding ventures for the first time into middle grade literature with this tale of a hodgepodge family of kids (think the Boxcar Children) thrown together by a mix of DNA, circumstance, and absentee parents. The Fitzgerald-Trouts, led by oldest sibling Kim, start life with daily lists-at the top, finding a house. The siblings live in a car and occasionally get grocery and gas money from an assorted set of oddball parents (none of whom want to actually care for the kids full-time). Despite the sad circumstances, the kids are cheerful and the novel is amusing. Kim is warmhearted and motivated, and readers will root for the spunky youngsters. Upper-elementary and lower-middle school readers will relate to the kids' simple desires for a normal life, complete with goldfish in bowls and room to sleep. VERDICT Recommended for most middle grade collections, especially where light humor is needed.-Sarah Knutson, American Canyon Middle School, CA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

Technically, the Fitzgerald-Trout children are stepsiblings, but in this quirky series kickoff-a sort of modern-day answer to the Boxcar Children-family is family. Abandoned by their various parents, Kim, Kimo, Pippa, and Toby live in a parked car on an unnamed tropical island, a setting that comes alive with its lush beaches and to-be-avoided forest filled with poisonous iguanas. Their mothers-one a wildly vain country singer, the other a stockbroker "so greedy that she wore diamonds all over herself"-stop by occasionally to give the children (barely) enough money to get by. But they are outgrowing the car and need a more permanent home. The Fitzgerald-Trouts' struggle to find stability feels urgent throughout, but Spalding, a poet and screenwriter making her children's book debut, balances the direness of their situation with over-the-top characters and humor-driven narration. If the story's magic lies in its Dahl-esque approach to topics like homelessness and parental neglect, its heart lies in the relationship between these four mutually devoted children. Art not seen by PW. Ages 8-12. Author's agent: Jackie Kaiser, Westwood Creative Artists. Illustrator's agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Literary Management. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.