Leaving the Bellweathers

Author: Kristin Clark Venuti

Publisher: Egmont

Publication Year: 2009

Most of the readers will be: Late elementary and early middle school girls and boys.

Reader's Advisory: For another book about an eccentric family try Stephanie Tolan's Surviving the Applewhites.

Summary:

The Benway family Oath of Fealty is almost up and Benway the butler can not wait to be free of the Bellweather family. The only trouble is how to fund his retirement. He solves this problem by writing a book that is sure to be a best seller. It is a tell-all memoir about working for the Bellweathers. As Benway completes his final days and his memoir, the Bellweather children wonder what could make Benway want to leave? Is it Spider's newest pet, the endangered albino aligator? Is it the family of circus performers Ninda is hiding in her room until they unionize? Or could it be the triplets' destructive "artwork"? Now the biggest question of all is, can the children get Benway to stick around?

My favorite passage:

"No sudden moves," Spider called out, too late. Grimsby had already started to run. Now everyone knows that one should never run from an Endangered Albino Alligator. They consider this a challenge and are likely to pursue their prey. It is unfortunate indeed that Grimsby was possibly the only person in the world who did not know this.

Grimsby had a head start, but Albino Alligators are notoriously fast, and this one, jaws chomping, had almost caught up with him when the postman fell into one of the triplet's deeper pits. The animal was clearly irritated by this turn of events. The trap was narrow but surprisingly deep, considering that it was the work of three nine-year-olds, and he could see no way to get at Grimsby.

The beast circled the pit, regarding Grimsby through his blood-red eyes and snapping his teeth together every few seconds. "QUICK, SOMEONE! CALL THE POLICE," Sassy shouted.

"CALL AN AMBULANCE," Brick yelled.

"CALL THE MORGUE," shrieked Spike.

"No need for any of that." Spider's voice carried with it such authority that all fell silent. (pg 40-41)

What I really think:

What a delightful book! I don't know that many children can relate to having a butler, but they can relate to having adults not understand them. This novel puts forth the idea that when adults and children try to understand each other there can be compromise and harmony. Also, there is lots of great mischief and Superfluous Capitalization.