Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Gone-Away Lake, by Elizabeth Enright

This one is a charming summer read that most children should enjoy, I'd think. Every year, Portia and her younger brother Foster go to visit her aunt and uncle, and cousin Julian, in the countryside. Portia and Julian, being closer in age, are close friends and spend a lot of time exploring.

One day, while rambling through the woods, Portia and Julian come across a giant swamp. Julian plunges into the reeds in search of rare butterflies. When the two emerge, they see a number of huge, but decrepit, estate houses. When they go closer to explore, they meet an old man and woman, siblings, dressed in turn-of-the century clothing. Mr. Pindar Payton and Mrs. Minnehaha Cheever are the only occupants of this isolated neighborhood, and rarely leave, but they're nonetheless thrilled to enjoy the company of the two children. They also share the secret of Gone-Away Lake: at one time, the area had been a thriving summer community for the wealthy. But mud started to overtake the lake, and once it became too swampy for recreation, the families boarded up their homes, most with their furnishings still inside, and never returned.

After living their adult lives, Mr. Payton and Mrs. Cheever decided to return to this isolated place and live in the old fashioned way, with no modern technology, and poaching whatever furnishings they needed (and an antique vehicle!) from the other houses. Since all other homes are unoccupied, the elderly pair invite the two children to choose one of them to use as a play house so they can visit frequently. Portia and Julian select an attic and clean it thoroughly, and it becomes their clubhouse during that one magic summer.

What child wouldn't love this setup?

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