The Callahan Cousins: Home Sweet Home
by Elizabeth Doyle Carey
Published by Little Brown and Company
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Reviewed by Andrea Sisco
The Callahan Cousins: Home Sweet Home is the sequel to The Callahan Cousins: Summer Begins. In this adventure the four Callahan cousins: Neeve, Kate, Hillary and Phoebe--are spending the summer at their grandmother's estate on Gull Island where their grandmother Gee has given them free rein to refurbish and move into the Dorm (guesthouse).
While The Callahan Cousins: Summer Begins is Hillary's tale, this book is told from the Neeve's perspective.
Neeve and Kate have differing opinions about the redecorating of the Dorm. Both girls want control of the Dorm's decor. When the four cousins begin to search the main house's attic for items that can be used in their new digs, Neeve discovers a wedding photo of her father and a woman who is not her mother. Neeve is shocked and hides the photo from her cousins.
The cousins are invited to mean-spirited Sloan's house (she lives on Gull Island year round) for a sleepover. The cousins accept the invitation with the thought that they would seek revenge on Sloan because she insulted two of the cousins. Gee learns of their plans and firmly instructs that they are not to seek their revenge.
While at the sleepover, Neeve discovers some photographs that further shock her and she is forced to trade the cosmetics she's collected all over the world for them. Neeve's cousins know something is bothering Neeve but she won't confide her worries. She believes her father was married to another woman, and after overhearing an adult conversation, wonders if he might have been responsible for his first wife's death? And does he have other children that she is not aware of?
Family secrets are eventually explained, relationships are sorted out and the books end is satisfying for all.
Armchair Interviews says: The Callahan Cousins: Home Sweet Home is a delightful story of family, friendship and sticking together and trusting your loved ones. In an era where Young Adult novels tend toward the dark and gritty, this novel is a breath of fresh air. It's a fast, fun and interesting read. And it has a strong moral compass. And who doesn't want their children to read books with a positive message!