The Canning Season by Polly Horvath

The Canning Season by Polly Horvath

One night out of the blue, Ratchet Clark's ill-natured mother uproots her from Florida without a second thought. Ratchet is on a train to Maine for a summer with relatives within the blink of an eye. But these aren't just any relatives. Ratchet's ninety-two-year old great-aunts, twins Penpen and Tilly, live life in their secluded home on their own terms. They were born together, they grew up together, they live together, and they plan to die together. Through thick wilderness, down forgotten, bear-ridden roads, a plethora of strange family history, and a slew of unwelcome guests, Ratchet may just learn what a family can be after all. Unwelcome guests might just bring the greatest gifts of all.

By turns dark and humorous, Polly Horvath offers readers enough quirky characters and outrageous situations to leave them reeling

Everything on a Waffle, The Canning Season, and One Year in Coal Harbor are just a few of Polly Horvath's books for children and young adults. She has won multiple honors, including the National Novel Award, the Newbery Honor, the Toronto Dominion Award, the International White Raven, and the Young Adult Book of the Year from the Canadian Library Association. She's also been nominated for the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis, Germany's most prestigious literary prize, as well as the Writer's Trust Vicky Metcalfe Award for her body of work, among many others. Her works have been bestsellers in the New York Times and Publishers Weekly, and have been recommended by Rosie O'Donnell and Oprah. Her works have been translated into over 25 languages, and they are taught in North American and worldwide children's literary curricula. She currently resides in British Columbia.