The Family Fletcher Takes Rock Island

I love the premise: A family off to steep themselves in the traditions of their summertime island getaway find it difficult to enjoy the place in their usual way when adolescence, outsider influence, racism, and an uncooperative cat rear their heads. Above all warm, honest and funny, it was a joy to keep company with the book's four boys and their two dads, as they navigated the new terrain, and emerged all the closer as a family, more understanding, and more invigorated for their experiences -- even if it did make me very jealous of a summer place to call home. It's a great read-aloud!

We read the first Fletcher book together at bedtime and loved it so much we jumped at the second. It is charming and funny and exciting. My only regret is that there isn’t a third

My son & I listened to the first book in this series and eagerly awaited the sequel. He deemed it better than the first, I felt it a bit weaker. However, even " a bit weaker" still translates into a fine read when you are talking about the family Fletcher! The main reason I didn't care for the sequel as much is because I felt some of the themes were recycled. Eldest son in a play...adventures with cats in tubs...neighbors who at first appear annoying and difficult but prove to be good friends soon enough...and where did the aunt's boyfriend come from? Maybe I missed him in the first book but he seemed to rather suddenly (and conveniently) appear. However, the story is still so much fun, the kids and parents just the kind you wish lived next door and...it didn't hurt that I read about this family's New England island getaway right after returning from a visit to Nantucket island!

My older kids, 10,9 and 6 loved this and the first one as well. Highly recommended! Would love to see more about the Fletchers!

As a kid I could relate to this book and it was fun to see the family change and evolve through the storyline.

It arrived quickly and has been super fun to read!

Wonderful low-key very humorous with realistic situations.

This is a worthy successor to the original (The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher), in a vacation setting, this time (this book is a separate, freestanding story). The four sons, their two fathers, the dog and two cats are summering on a rustic New England island. Besides the usual scrapes and mishaps you'd expect of four energetic, mischievous kids, the island provides local (and colorful) residents and a varied landscape. The book is a little more complex (and slightly darker) in tone. Their vacation cottage, like the island, is old and somewhat decrepit -- it had been Papa's boyhood vacation place -- and a beloved lighthouse is crumbling, fenced-off and in danger of demolition. The oldest boy, Sam, is giving hints of puberty (taller, very big appetite, wants to sleep late), the other kids are prone to slightly dangerous mishaps with a tippy kayak, or wanting to put the cat in the bathtub, and there are problems with some of the island's more eccentric characters. Still, it's a pleasant, eventful and intriguing stay with a boisterous family, a story that's never dull, and something that 8-12 year-old readers might like, and, for that matter, adult readers who remember their summers fondly.