Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published May 2003
208 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
One night out of the blue, Ratchet Clark’s ill-natured mother tells her that Ratchet will be leaving their Pensacola apartment momentarily to take the train up north. There she will spend the summer with her aged relatives Penpen and Tilly, inseparable twins who couldn’t look more different from each other. Staying at their secluded house, Ratchet is treated to a passel of strange family history and local lore, along with heaps of generosity and care that she has never experienced before. Also, Penpen has recently espoused a new philosophy – whatever shows up on your doorstep you have to let in. Through thick wilderness, down forgotten, bear-ridden roads, come a variety of characters, drawn to Penpen and Tilly’s open door. It is with vast reservations that the cautious Tilly allows these unwelcome guests in. But it turns out that unwelcome guests may bring the greatest gifts.
National Book Awards, 2003
"Readers are in for a wise and wacky ride when they open this novel." - School Library Journal
"Once again Horvath displays a genius for creating multigenerational, interestingly extended families, and for blending high and low comedy into a tale rife with important themes and life-changing events." - Kirkus
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Polly Horvath grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Her books include The Trolls, finalist for the U.S. National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 1999, Everything on a Waffle, a runner-up for the Newbery Medal in 2002 and winner of the National Book Award. She won the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award in 2013 for One Year in Coal Harbor.
She currently lives in Metchosin, British Columbia and is both an American and Canadian citizen. Her books have received international recognition. She is married and has two daughters.
Link to Polly Horvath's Website
Name Pronunciation
Polly Horvath: hor-vath (second syllable rhymes with math)
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