Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Stillwater Public Library | J FICTION VEN | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
All is (temporarily) peaceful in the village of Eel-Smack-by-the-Bay. An art heist has been averted, an albino alligator refuge established, and a family of refugee circus performers, gainfully employed. After much thought (and a tell-all memoir) Tristan Benway has decided to remain in the employ of the Bellweather family, and the children, especially, have tried to mend their ways.
But old habits die hard, and when the triplets - Brick, Spike, and Sassy - experiment in negative space on the lighthouse stairs, Benway ends up in the hospital with a broken leg, and the Bellweathers are left without a butler.
The family's efforts to find an interim servant fail miserably. Their troubles mount as they become mixed-up with a band of roving Gypsies, paleontological discoveries gone awry, and encounters with rare attack squirrels. But letting the recuperating Benway know of their plight is not an option. As the Bellweathers spin increasingly amazing stories of their "new servant" at Benway's bedside, the poor butler starts to wonder if he was ever needed. . .
Author Notes
Kristin Clark Venuti's first novel, Leaving the Bellweathers , introduced the world to a family of kooky, crazy, unforgettable characters. But the author is quite a character, herself. A children's-theater producer, scene painter, and two-time black belt, she wrote on anything she could while growing up, including her father's prized dictionary, the walls of her house, and the family dog (with blueberry ink, of course). She lives in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California with her husband and children. You can visit her online at www.leavingthebellweathers.com.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-Benway, who graduated first in his class from the B. Knighted Academy for Butlers, dreams of retiring to a quiet Cottage Far, Far Away. For now, though, he is still working for the Bellweathers, who live in the Lighthouse on the Hill in the village of Eel-Smack-by-the-Bay. Their nine-year-old triplets use saws and hatchets to make holes in the stairs to create their concept of negative space art. Benway falls into the stairway art and breaks his leg and must recuperate in the hospital. The zany family members-there are seven children-try to find a replacement, and, when unsuccessful, tell Benway about a new, fictitious butler so he won't worry about them. Ninda, 13, continues to try to do good deeds while Spider, 14, frets over endangered animals, and, of course, the triplets continue their artful search. A companion to Leaving the Bellweathers (Egmont USA, 2009), this story is told through third-person narration and Benway's journal entries. The result is a humorous, edgy read that feels like a blend of Roald Dahl and Lemony Snicket. It's a wacky romp that's sure to please.-Helen Foster James, University of California at San Diego (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
While their normally indomitable butler, Benway, is laid up in the hospital with a broken leg, the Bellweather family members (Leaving the Bellweathers) continue to get themselves into scrapes. Spider is rescuing attack squirrels, Ninda is electing a new mayor, and the triplets are discovering a dinosaur. The Bellweathers' idiosyncratic traits and humorous antics continue to be humorous and appealing. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Introduced in Leaving the Bellweathers (2009), the comically dysfunctional family is back for another outing. Benway the butler, after breaking his leg in an unfortunate accident precipitated by over-the-top ten-year-old triplets Sassy, Brick and Spike, is confined to the hospital, while Spider, 15, tries to round up the violent, endangered squirrels he inadvertently set loose on Eel-by-the-Bay, do-gooder Ninda, 14, works to aid a large group of displaced immigrants and the Bellweather parents relentlessly pursue their own interests (wall painting and inventing). All the Bellweathers recognize that they can barely get by without their staid and trusty butler, but poor Benway rarely gets the opportunity to see this, as the family blunderingly protects him from their growing, often silly, desperation. Though character development plays second fiddle to plot, return readers have gotten to know the protagonists well enough to anticipate their personal foibles. As in the first effort, the situations don't always live up to their full potential for hilarity but will, at times, leave readers amused. (Farce. 9-13)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
In this entertaining follow-up to Leaving the Bellweathers (2009), the title family's longtime, often long-suffering butler, Benway, is hospitalized with a broken leg due to 10-year-old triplets Brick, Spike, and Sassy's latest experimental-art project gone awry. But time away from the eccentric family and their lighthouse abode isn't restful, only frustrating, as Benway learns of more family escapades and mishaps from endangered-animal rescuer Spider's Reticulated Attack Squirrel problem to human-rights activist Nina's latest efforts to help the Rhinnestaadtian people and he worries about hospital cleanliness and being replaced. With delightfully archaic prose, interspersed with Benway's journal entries, this offers a humorous, sometimes touching sequel.--Rosenfeld, Shelle Copyright 2010 Booklist
