Exiles [Paperback]

Hilary McKay (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 19, 2001

The Conroys are no ordinary family. For a start, they don't have a television. Nor are they allowed to keep pets. And Mr and Mrs Conroy never take their daughters - Ruth, Naomi, Rachel and Phoebe - on holiday. But then Mr and Mrs Conroy inherit GBP5000, and, to their daughters' dismay, decide to spend it redecorating the house over the summer. So the girls are packed off to Big Grandma's house for the holidays, where lots of chores and horribly long walks await them. At first it seems as though Big Grandma is determined to put a stop to any fun. But, being Conroys, the girls soon find novel ways to entertain themselves, and start having as many adventures and mishaps as usual ...and after a while, even Big Grandma doesn't seem so bad ...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The four Conroy girls are more than a little disgruntled to learn that instead of their receiving a share of their parents' newly acquired inheritance, the entire 5000 will be spent fixing the house. To add insult to injury, while the renovation is taking place, Ruth, Naomi, Rachel and Phoebe are "exiled" to the country to stay with their no-nonsense grandmother. In Cumbria, the sisters decide to spend their days buried behind books, but "Big Grandma" has other plans for them: she believes in exercise, and puts forth an endless supply of chores to fill their every waking moment. Like the writings of Beverly Cleary and Lois Lowry, this warmhearted first novel provides an ample supply of chuckles. Readers will be tickled by the children's attempts to evade their canny grandparent and will be touched by the affection that blossoms between generations despite initial clashes of wills. In spite of themselves, the Conroy girls begin to view "Big Grandma" in a more compassionate light while discovering something new about their own potential. Ages 9-12.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-- This episodic tale of four eccentric sisters and their grandmother has potential, but it is never totally realized. The characters are not fully fleshed out; nor are their dealings with one another completely drawn. Set in England's Lincolnshire and Cumbria, the story follows the girls' summer with their grandmother, who is not a favorite relative of theirs. The feeling is mutual. Big Grandma, as the girls call her, considers her granddaughters spoiled and believes they experience life only through reading. They are horrified to find almost no books in her house except for some cookbooks and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare . Big Grandma wants them to discover nature and adventure firsthand and, little by little, they do. Predictably, the summer improves the relationships all around. A clear picture of the woman's attitude about the girls is missing, as is an explanation as to why their Uncle Robert ran away from home. Her reactions to Naomi's broken arm and a fire the children accidentally start seem understated. Although Big Grandma succeeds in her mission to change their perspective on life, a more satisfying selection that depicts the influence of the elderly on the young is Paula Fox's The Stone-Faced Boy (Bradbury, 1982). --Renee Steinberg, Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Hodder Childrens (April 19, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340726911
• ISBN-13: 978-0340726914
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,164,174 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really funny!, December 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Exiles (Paperback)

This hilarious book is great for cheering anyone up. Ruth, Naomi, Rachel and Phoebe are the best characters in any book I have read. I have read The Exiles, The Exiles at Home and The Exiles in Love over and over again. I recommend this book to anyone who anyone with a sense of humour and fun, as it's one the most enjoyable boos I have ever read.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!, March 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Exiles (Hardcover)

This is probably one of my favourite books and I've read it over and over again. It was really, really funny - especially Rachel, who's my favourite character. The Exiles at Home was also excellent! I just hope that Hilary McKay writes lots more stories about the Conroy girls!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Four wacky sisters exiled to an even wackier Grandma survive, September 26, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Exiles (Hardcover)

The four Conroy sisters are all bright, silly, oblivious, friendly, impatient, in other words, they're people. Like the people we really know, the girls are upset when their parents decided to pack them off to their fearsome Big Grandma after an unexpected financial windfall allows their parents to improve the home. It's not so much their eccentric grandma the girls object to, its the unfairness of their parenets in not sharing the money! Sent to the northern English coast they manage to survive their vacation without the emotional traumas required of most current childrens books. There is plenty of adventure with fire, water, falls, the locals and the continuing search for reading material. Big Grandma considers her granddaughters to be far too self-centered and only permits them to bring two books a piece to her home. The continuing battle of wills provides amusement and horror to those who won't consider going out-of-town without three novels and a magazine.