The cover of the English edition Caterpillar was what caught my eyes first. And after reading the summary I knew that I wanted to read this book. The beach, the plot, and the promising figures were all I needed to know to get interested in the story. And it was easy to read a book with a heartwarming story about a girl and her little brother who start to change during an unexpected summer at their grandparents´ house.
Pelikansommer*
by Gillian McDunn
Translation Katja Maatsch
Original Title Caterpillar Summer
Illustration Alisa Coburn
Publisher Fischer Sauerländer on April 29, 2020
Genre Children 10+
Pages 333
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher
✶✶✶✶
Cat and her little beloved brother Chick have to spend the holidays with their grandparents – who they never met! The small town on the Pacific Ocean is quite different from their home in the big city. Everyone knows everyone by name here, and the grandparents´ house is right on the beach. Chick who loves collecting facts about sharks is thrilled! Cat also gradually realizes that these vacations are not the big catastrophe that she was expecting … (personal translation by ©Vi at Inkvotary).
Story
Cat is a kid but already carrying a huge responsibility on her shoulders. Her mother relies heavily on her daughter’s ability to handle her little brother Chicken well and with the right words and actions. Because Cat knows and understands the special needs of her younger brother better than anyone else. But when her mother has to change their plans for their summer vacation and Cat meets for the very first time her grandparents, everything starts to change. And Cat realizes that she loves her brother dearly, but she also wants to be a kid too and do things without him around.
Style
This book does not only contain a well-written story about two children but also some great illustrations that show Cat and her little brother – although they appear in a different way in them. The author has a wonderful writing style and language and it was easy for me to imagine every scene right before my inner eye.
During the ongoing plot, I had some moments where I noticed that I was shaking my head over Cats´ behavior and how she saw the world and especially the way how her brother behaved. It was soon clear to me, that Cat was not happy with her life, that she needed something she didn´t know how to get. The attention of her mother. And with that, I don´t mean that her mother isn´t there for her kids. She is. But in a different way.
Characters
The figures in this novel seem to be taken right out of real life. An old conflict between two figures in this story made it apparently impossible for Cat to get to know her grandparents sooner and the author managed to show that in a very sensible way.
Cat is a very responsible girl. Sometimes I had the feeling she is more grown-up than her mother. Her mother sets work above else and therefore her daughter must handle her little brother. Usually nothing unnormal. Elder siblings often look after their younger siblings, play with them, or go to the library together. But Cat does more. Way more. Because Chicken, has some sort of autism and when he has “his moments” as Cat likes to call them, nobody but Cat is able to get him “down” again.
The inner conflict Cat is going through, the change of her mother during the summer, and how Cat starts to see things in a different way are all shown by the author in a sensible and very entertaining way.
Conclusion
This is a beautiful story about loss, life, love, family, and the ability to learn and change for the better. There are moments in this book where I had to swallow and moments where I was touched not only by what I read but also those things I imagined in my head. Life on the island is different from life in the big city and Cat learns that very easy and soon. A wonderful novel for kids and grown-ups alike.
Happy reading
*This book was kindly provided to me by Fischer Sauerländer in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you. Therefore, the cover of the German edition is shown first in this review.
Deutsche Rezension
Stil
Dieses Buch enthält nicht nur eine gut geschriebene Geschichte über zwei Kinder, sondern auch einige großartige Illustrationen, die Cat und ihren kleinen Bruder zeigen – obwohl sie in ihnen anders aussehen. Die Autorin hat einen wunderbaren Schreibstil und eine sehr schöne Sprache und es fiel mir leicht, mir jede Szene direkt vor meinem inneren Auge vorzustellen.
Während der laufenden Handlung hatte ich einige Momente, in denen ich bemerkte, dass ich meinen Kopf über das Verhalten von Cat schüttelte. Darüber wie sie die Welt sah und insbesondere ihre Sichtweise darüber wie sich ihr Bruder benahm. Mir war bald klar, dass Cat mit ihrem Leben nicht glücklich ist, dass sie etwas brauchte, von dem sie nicht wusste, wie sie es bekommen sollte. Die Aufmerksamkeit ihrer Mutter. Und damit meine ich nicht, dass ihre Mutter nicht für ihre Kinder da ist. Sie ist für sie da. Aber anders.
Charaktere
Die Figuren in diesem Roman scheinen direkt aus dem wirklichen Leben genommen zu sein. Ein alter Konflikt zwischen zwei Figuren in dieser Geschichte machte es Cat anscheinend unmöglich, ihre Großeltern früher kennenzulernen, und die Autorin konnte dies auf sehr feinfühlige Weise zeigen.
Cat ist ein sehr verantwortungsbewusstes Mädchen. Manchmal hatte ich das Gefühl, sie sei erwachsener als ihre Mutter. Diese setzt die Arbeit über alles und deshalb muss ihre Tochter auf den kleinen Bruder sehr oft aufpassen. Normalerweise nichts Ungewöhnliches. Ältere Geschwister kümmern sich oft um ihre jüngeren Geschwister, spielen mit ihnen oder gehen zusammen in die Bücherei. Aber Cat macht mehr. Viel mehr. Weil Küken eine besondere Art von Autismus hat und wenn er „seine Momente“ hat, wie Cat sie gerne nennt, kann ihn niemand außer Cat wieder „runter“ bringen.
Der innere Konflikt, den Cat durchmacht, die Veränderung ihre Mutter im Sommer und wie Cat beginnt, die Dinge anders zu sehen, zeigt die Autorin auf sehr unterhaltsame und feinfühlige Weise.
Resultat
Das ist eine schöne Geschichte über Verlust, Leben, Liebe, Familie und die Fähigkeit zu lernen und sich zum Besseren zu verändern. Es gibt Moment in diesem Buch, in denen ich schlucken musste, und Momente, in denen ich nicht nur von dem berührt wurde, was ich las, sondern auch von den Dingen, die ich mir in meinem Kopf vorgestellt hatte. Das Leben auf der Insel unterscheidet sich vom Leben in der Großstadt und Cat lernt das sehr einfach und schnell. Ein wunderbarer Roman für Kinder und Erwachsene.
*This book was published in the English language by Bloomsbury Children´s Books on April 2, 2019
Gillian McDunn
Gillian McDunn has lived in California, Missouri, and North Caroline, USA, and loves both the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean. Her favorite thing is spending time with her family. She also loves traveling, board games, and learning about the world we live in. She grew up with a younger brother who, like chicks, has some form of autism. Gillian currently lives with her family near Raleigh in North Carolina.
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