Reviewed by Kelley Burrow for TeensReadToo.com
THANKSGIVING AT THE INN tells the story of three generations of Heath Wellingtons: Senior, Junior, and Heath III.
Heath and his father, Junior, are living a hand-to-mouth life in New Jersey when they receive word that Senior has died. With Heath suspended from school and Junior trying to write a novel, Heath is disheartened by the harsh way his father treats him.
The two head for the Sleeping Inn, the Wellington home turned bed-and-breakfast, to attend the funeral and hear the reading of the will. What awaits them is an Inn filled with a collection of misfits that Senior has "collected" over the years and tried to help.
A rough relationship between Junior and Senior led Senior to will Junior the Inn with several conditions. Junior does not want to abide by those stipulations; he wants only the money to pay the bills while he writes a novel.
Full of quirky characters, the "Inn-habitants" become the supportive and loving family that Heath has missed since his mother left them. A Jamaican preacher, a tattooed mechanic, and an eccentric old woman hold the power to turn the Inn and the money over to Junior if he follows the terms of the will to their satisfaction.
THANKSGIVING AT THE INN is a story that young-adult boy readers will be able to identify with. Heath is a kid in trouble at school and home. His father is hard on him without reason. Heath must learn that he doesn't know everything about his father. Maybe his father's reasons for living his life the way he does, while not always right, can be understood.
It takes losing the grandfather that he never knew for Heath to be able to connect with his father.
THANKSGIVING AT THE INN tells the story of three generations of Heath Wellingtons: Senior, Junior, and Heath III.
Heath and his father, Junior, are living a hand-to-mouth life in New Jersey when they receive word that Senior has died. With Heath suspended from school and Junior trying to write a novel, Heath is disheartened by the harsh way his father treats him.
The two head for the Sleeping Inn, the Wellington home turned bed-and-breakfast, to attend the funeral and hear the reading of the will. What awaits them is an Inn filled with a collection of misfits that Senior has "collected" over the years and tried to help.
A rough relationship between Junior and Senior led Senior to will Junior the Inn with several conditions. Junior does not want to abide by those stipulations; he wants only the money to pay the bills while he writes a novel.
Full of quirky characters, the "Inn-habitants" become the supportive and loving family that Heath has missed since his mother left them. A Jamaican preacher, a tattooed mechanic, and an eccentric old woman hold the power to turn the Inn and the money over to Junior if he follows the terms of the will to their satisfaction.
THANKSGIVING AT THE INN is a story that young-adult boy readers will be able to identify with. Heath is a kid in trouble at school and home. His father is hard on him without reason. Heath must learn that he doesn't know everything about his father. Maybe his father's reasons for living his life the way he does, while not always right, can be understood.
It takes losing the grandfather that he never knew for Heath to be able to connect with his father.
