From School Library Journal
Gr 4-6-Despite a preposterous setup that sounds like a bad sitcom (poor, naive orphan is raised by her rich, but uptight, materialistic Aunt Viola and Uncle Ed, who must hide his good nature because of his shrill, controlling wife), this novel is actually more interesting than its stock characters. When her aunt and uncle leave for a European holiday, 11-year-old Charlotte decides to find her long-lost uncle. After a nerve-wracking ride through New York to Long Island (again, Charlie's na‹vet‚ is quite unbelievable, despite her sheltered upbringing, and given her gutsy planning of the trip itself), she finds her uncle living a lonely existence. Rough and gruff, Groover is a recovering alcoholic who blames himself for Charlie's parents' fatal accident (as does Viola) nine years earlier. But Charlie immediately knows that Groover's plain, working-class lifestyle suits her far better than the prim-and-prissy ways she is used to. Through a series of encounters, Charlie manages to open the eyes of the grown-ups around her as she finds her true home. The happy ending once again strains credulity but by then readers are rooting for Charlie and won't mind the predictable resolution.-Cyrisse Jaffee, formerly at Newton Public Schools, MA
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From Booklist
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