The Exiles Paperback – October 16, 2007

I came to this book having found a reference to the series in one of the Penderwick books that one of the other reviewers recommends.My point of view on The Exiles is a little different than that of the other reviewers. I read it out loud to my two daughters, age 5 and 7. The act of reading aloud is fundamentally different than reading silently. Some writers who read well silently are exposed when read aloud. Writing can be revealed as being needlessly ornate or clunky or even meaningless when read aloud. Not so McKay. She is a sly writer both in terms of the flow of her writing and her humor.Her humor is her greatest strength. There was much that I found funny and other stuff that my girls found hilarious.Her characters, at least in this book, feel very well thought out. And this is where she may be a better writer than Jeanne Birdsall who wrote the Penderwick books(which are great and should be read by girls age 6 through 13). The Penderwick girls are well-nigh flawless human beings. They are occassionally short-sighted but invariably they come around. The sisters in The Exiles come around somewhat but are also very self-centered, somewhat delusional (this is why Big Grandma basically keeps them bookless- to get them out in the world, a bit) and they can be disastrously stubborn or careless. There were times when I really didn't like them much and times when they were very charming. I am curious to see how they develop in the other two books in the series.One last thing, which I will try to convey without giving any spoilers. Which age this book is appropriate for is up to your kid and whether or not you are reading to them. There are two incidents in the books, that if either of my girls had read to themselves, might have been too scary. However, when reading aloud to them, it led to some very good discussions. If you want your girl to read it for herself, you should probably read it first just to make sure that it is appropriate.I do not want to leave off this review on a negative impression. I, as a doting 56 year old daddy, enjoyed this book very much. So did my girls. I very much want my girls to be readers. Books like this one make that goal seem easy.

Sweet book, reminds me of The Famous Five without the thrill. A pleasant read

I love Hilary McKay. I bought this book 'cause I had already read all the Casson Family books. The Exiles still has mainly female main characters... personally I don't mind. The girls are a pleasure to meet. Each a little different; each with her own personal conflicts and facing the world in their way."The Exiles" exudes charm. It is hilarious and engaging. Not to discourage you but to be honest... the ending was quite predictable... but the story itself fun.

A lovely and funny book for children. Many years ago, I got this very book as a reward, winning a reading contest in school. I loved it from the first to the last page, and re-read it many times. Unfortunately it got lost while we moved to another country. Now I have another copy, and still love it from the first to the last page. The sisters are funny, crazy and amazing.

This is my one of my favorite books.

The author tells the tale with humor and grace. It is smoothly written, although there are instances where I didn't understand what is being expressed, which is perhaps due to the differences between the English on each side of the pond. I noted that the recommended reading ages at Amazon is 9-12. Well, this 70-year-old enjoyed it. The characterizations are astute and grounded. It is slice of life writing that contains insight into the minds of normal kids, not that they are without quirks and faults. The 217-pages read like considerably less. Its appeal is largely for pre-teens, most likely female, and those adults who value stories about the human condition that elevate the mundane to art.

WHILST THE STORIES OF THESE THREE BOOKS WERE INTERESTING AND LIVELY, IT WAS REPULSIVE TO HAVE HEROINES OF CHILDREN WHO DO NOT ADHERE TO GOOD HYGIENE, CLEANLINESS AND ORDER. EG PUTTING A HALF DEAD HEDGEHOG INSIDE A COOKERY BASKET AS HAPPENED IN BOOK 3 : THE EXILES IN LOVE. AND A PERMANENTLY GRUBBY MUDDY CHEWING GUM-IN-HER-HAIR, NOT BATHED FOR A WEEK RACHEL, BEING JUST A COUPLE OF POINTS. IN AN IDEAL DREAM WORLD MAYBE THERE ARE PARENTS SUCH AS THE CONROYS WHO BY AND LARGE VIEW THEIR CHILDREN'S MESS AS BEING ACCEPTABLE, BUT I DO NOT FEEL THIS SETS A GOOD EXAMPLE. PARENTS SHOULD BE UNDERSTANDING, BUT THERE MUST BE SOME ORDER IN A HOUSEHOLD FULL OF CHILDREN.

Just as absolutely hilarious as the other two!!!!! Hilary Mckay sure does have an excellent imagination!!!!!!! I love Big Grandma, she is great!!!!

Though we loved the story (even great when above childhood!) it was hardly a pleasure to read it on my kindle. Somebody send the IT Manager and designers back to the drawing board please. It was murky, and milky and plain annoying. So much so, that I am obviously hesitating to by the other Exiles-story for our Kindle, which is a shame. But that is hardly Hilary McKay's fault. We had a great time with the 4 girls and their grandmother.