When the boy in the book shows up to his grandparents' lake house for the summer, he's excited to see Hortense, a relative he's played with before. But in his absence, Hortense has grown up, becoming tall and girly, and the two children suddenly have nothing in common. This makes for a long, lonely summer for the boy. Once the two children get together to plan a surprise for their nana, however, they learn that even kids who've grown apart can still find common ground in helping someone else.
This is the third in the series, and while it stands alone to some degree, without the preceding books it was unclear who Hortense was and how the two children were related. Despite that, it's a nice (though long) story about the pitfalls of growing older and still trying to find common ground with far-away relatives who, themselves, have grown (but in different ways). The colorful, caricature-like illustrations add to the fun feel of the book, although some may find them too cartoonish.
EL -- OPTIONAL. Reviewed by: Caryn
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