MMGM: Winter Cottage

MMGM: Winter Cottage

This is an oldie, but goodie. It was first published in 1939, and I heard it about it recently on a “best books for kids” list. It wasn’t just the time period—although I love the 30s—but it was the premise--about a family living in an abandoned summer cottage—that stole my heart.

It is a classic, but one I had never heard of.

The synopsis (from Goodreads):

A family that is down on its luck during the Depression appropriates a summer cottage in the Wisconsin woods, where they spend the winter and welcome all visitors, including a runaway youth and two strangers. How Pops and his two daughters cope with their misfortunes without losing heart is a very entertaining story.

That doesn’t do it justice, so here is the book flap:

It is the fall of 1930, the beginning of the great depression. Thirteen-year-old Minty Sparkes is already aware that she has a large responsibility for her family’s well being, for although she loves her poetry-quoting father, both he and she realize that his verses and charm will not feed or house them and Eggs, Minty’s younger sister.

How the Sparkes family manage during this penniless winter—and the unusual experiences they have—make a story that young girls will read with understanding, sympathy, and delight. A double-surprise ending adds to the reader’s pleasure, and the handsome drawings by Fermin Rocker capture the feeling of the characters and local.

Ignore “young girls.” I think this is a book that would appeal to all.

What I loved:

A flawed parent who endearing. I supposed it’s because I am a parent myself, but I have a hard time reading MGs where the parent is despicable. Pop is shiftless and not very practical, but he loves his kids. And what’s not to love about a guy who makes prize-winning pancakes and quotes poetry?

A simpler time. Like reading Little House on the Prairie, this book reminds you of a simpler time, when kids made their own fun and when in dire straits, people made do. This was refreshing to read and a good reminder that although economic times have been hard for our country in recently, they are nothing to the Great Depression.

A platonic friendship. I really enjoyed Joe Boyles, a runaway, who joins them at the cottage. He and responsible Minty immediately hit it off, but throughout the book, it never goes beyond a good friendship. This was a refreshing change from most of the middle grades I read.

Premise. I loved the inherent conflict in Dad wanting to stay at someone else’s cottage and promising to pay “when his ship came in” along with Minty’s feelings of responsibility. You can’t help but feel for Minty and her dad. I also thought the book dealt with the ethical question of this in a very relatable way for kids.

Interesting twist ending. The author did a great job of giving of false leads so that I was pleasantly surprised at the ending—though I had guessed one of them. 

If you have a craving for a trip back to yesteryear or the 30s, check this out. Kids who like gentle reads with description and sweet endings would love it.

As I was reading, I couldn’t help but think of the modern equivalent, THE PENDERWICKS, which I featured last week. I had read Jeanne Birdsall say that she wrote the PENDERWICKS, because she wanted to write a book like the ones she loved as a child. I wonder if WINTER COTTAGE was one of her favorites.

Have you enjoyed any children’s classics lately?

If you're looking for Marvelous Middle Grade suggestions, check out Shannon Messenger's blog.