Cassie Binegar (whose name rhymes with vinegar) hates her family's new house by the sea. She envies Margaret Mary for her perfect home with its shiny kitchen counters and plastic flowers that are beautiful all the time. She is surprised to find that Margaret Mary adores Cassie's loud, slapdash family.

Cassie yearns for orderliness in her life - for sameness. She wants things to go back to the way they used to be, in her old house, before Grandfather died. Then Gran comes, Gran who is so good at seeing the truth about Cassie. Other relatives arrive, too: Uncle Hat, who talks in rhymes; Cousin Coralinda, who wears too many feathers; and Baby Binnie, who speaks a language all her own. Slowly, Cassie learns from them how to look at life through other people's eyes. And she learns that there are some things that cannot - should not - stay the same forever.

Cassie has an eccentric family that embarrasses her. She wishes they would be more like the "perfect" family of her best friend. And she wants a place of her own, away from the maddening crowd around her.

I was disappointed with this tale by an author whose other works I have thoroughly enjoyed. I never felt engaged, nor did I care much about the people in the story. ( )

Great characters who are full of life and a lesson about change in this book. ( )

After her grandfather's death, Cassie longs for an orderliness to life -' a pattern -' that doesn't exist among her raucous, loving family. But during an eventful summer by the sea, she begins to learn that some things do not stay the same forever. Colorful characters [and] Cassie's continuing and believable growth in understanding herself and others [make] this novel so distinctive." 'C. From Amazon

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