Synopses & Reviews
Jake Semple and E.D. Applewhite are back, this time facing a financial meltdown E.D.'s father has called "
the end of the world!" Famously creative Randolph Applewhite hatches a plan to save the family from poverty and starvation: They will turn the sixteen acres of their family compound, Wit's End, into
Eureka!, a summer camp for creative children. The plan will demand the all-out efforts of the whole family, including Jake, who has managed to survive his first year in their home school. The whole thing
seems like a good idea . . .
. . . until—in the midst of the ordinary chaos of temperamental artists; talented, intense, headstrong campers; a dead possum; and rampaging goats—anonymous, threatening notes begin mysteriously appearing in the Applewhites' roadside mailbox. Can E.D., Jake, and the Eureka! campers prevent a head-on collision with disaster?
In this hilarious, masterful sequel to Stephanie S. Tolan's Newbery Honor Book, Surviving the Applewhites, the Applewhite family returns, more outrageous than ever.
Review
Praise for SURVIVING THE APPLEWHITES:“Reminiscent of the loud, loving, eccentric family in Kaufman and Harts You Cant Take It With You, the Applewhites are brilliantly talented and wildly adverse to mainstream mentality.” Kirkus Reviews
Review
Praise for SURVIVING THE APPLEWHITES: “The novel is pure fun.” Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (Starred Review)
Review
Praise for SURVIVING THE APPLEWHITES:“Humor abounds in the ever-building chaos.” Publishers Weekly
Review
Praise for SURVIVING THE APPLEWHITES:“This has terrific booktalk and read-aloud potential, and will help fill the need for humorous contemporary fiction.” School Library Journal (starred review)
Review
Praise for SURVIVING THE APPLEWHITES:“An engaging, satisfying, and entertaining romp.” KLIATT
Review
Praise for SURVIVING THE APPLEWHITES“Tolan has pulled off something special here.” Booklist (starred review)
Review
“The Applewhites remain humorous, heartwarming and devoted to their respective crafts and each other.” Kirkus Reviews
Review
“Props to Tolan for keeping the plates spinning and attempting what so few authors for young readers do: switching points of view. A fun time was had by all.” Booklist
Review
“The endearing family of freewheeling artists from Surviving the Applewhites returns for an encore that is cleverly plotted, emotionally satisfying, and highly entertaining. Tolan handles the large cast of characters with élan. Themes of creativity, individuality, and cooperation are explored as the roller-coaster plot unfolds and humorous moments abound.” School Library Journal
Synopsis
Jack Semple and E.D. Applewhite are back, in this middle-grade sequel to Stephanie S. Tolans Newbery Honor Book
Surviving the Applewhites.
Teenager E.D., the not so artistic, not at all eccentric member of the unconventional Applewhite clan, can't believe the plan her father has hatched to save the family from financial disaster. Hes decided to transform their rural North Carolina farm into a summer camp for creative children.
Soon the farm is packed with temperamental artists, out-of-control campers, and an even more out-of-control goat. It's all a little too much for structure-loving E.D., even before threatening notes begin appearing in the family mailbox. Together with Jake Semple--the boy who survived his first year in the Applewhites' home school—she's determined to save the camp and the family from disaster.
Like Carl Hiassans Chomp, Applewhites at Wit's End combines outrageous humor and the frustrations and joys of being part of a family.
About the Author
Stephanie S. Tolan is the author of more than twenty books for young readers, including Welcome to the Ark, Flight of the Raven, and the Newbery Honorwinning novel Surviving the Applewhites. She lives on a little lake in a big woods in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband (Bob), two dogs (Coyote and Samantha), two fish (Blanche and Noir), and plenty of outdoor creatures.