The kids from The Boxcar Children spend their summer camping on an island. It all goes pretty much as you'd expect - fishing, swimming, exploring, etc. - but it's still so contrived in some places that all this mildly interesting adventure borders on the ridiculous. (How many lost relatives can one family have?!) And as much as I like to read children who aren't thumping brats, it was almost a relief to get to Benny's tantrum and see one kid at least acting up, instead of always being so unfailingly happy and polite, like they're on the island of Stepford instead of Surprise.

I've got to say, though - and this must be a generational thing - their staple diet of bread and milk, the bread in a bowl with cold milk poured over - sounds mushy and revolting. Did kids ever actually enjoy that slop like these ones seem to? Again I am with Benny: blackberries and cream sounds much nicer.