Applewhites at Wit's End (Applewhites Family, #2)

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Applewhites at Wit's End (Applewhites Family #2)

3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 · rating details · 174 ratings · 49 reviews

Jack Semple and E.D. Applewhite are back, in this middle-grade sequel to Stephanie S. Tolan’s Newbery Honor Book Surviving the Applewhites.

Teenager E.D., the not so artistic, not at all eccentric member of the unconventional Applewhite clan, can't believe the plan her father has hatched to save the family from financial disaster. He’s decided to transform their rural North...more

Hardcover, 272 pages

Published May 8th 2012 by HarperCollins (first published April 8th 2011)

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Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan

Applewhites at Wit's End by Stephanie S. Tolan

Homeschool Fiction (the great, cliched, and rotten)

5th out of 47 books — 18 voters

HarperCollins YA & MG Books of 2012

104th out of 129 books — 78 voters

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Jan 10, 2013 Timothy M added it

I am currently reading Applewhites at Wit's End by Stephanie S. Tolan. This book is the sequel to Surviving the Applewhites. In the book, the very talented Applewhite family is going on broke. To save their beloved property, Wit's End, the Applewhites decide to have a summer camp to raise money. I really like the youngest Applewhite, Destiny, because he's very funny. I remember driving by a ranch around Kingsville, Texas, that sounds a lot like Wit's End. They both have really cool ponds. I was...more

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Oct 10, 2012 Karen Yingling rated it 3 of 5 stars

This sequel to Surviving the Applewhites (2002) focuses more on the eccentric family living at Wit's End rather than on Jake, the boy who ends up being fostered by them. The family is having monetary problems, and decides to solve them by having a summer camp for creative children. They manage to get a few children to come, but they turn out to be spoiled, demanding, and interested in following their own programs. E.D. and Jake end up in charge as the parents and various relatives are conspicuou...more

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Aug 08, 2012 Janice rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have taught the first book, Surviving the Applewhites, and actually find this to be a stronger book. It was nice to revisit the characters, and the children have evolved from where they were at in the first book- especially like the development of Jake and E.D.. The only thing I find frustrating while reading Applewhite books is how much I want to shake the parents! I know E.D. thrives and grows from the insane amount of responsibility she is expected to take on (in both books) but it seems li...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Andrea rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

This is the sequel to Surviving the Applewhites. The Applewhites are on the brink of running out of money and fear they will lose their 16 acre homesite where all the extended family live. They decide to start a summer camp for creative children and will host various types of workshops and activities over an 8 week period. All of the Applewhites have some type of creative ability except E.D. who is the practical, organized one of the family. Their activities will include sculpture, painting, sin...more

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Dec 01, 2012 Brittany rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: childhood-favs

We all have those books that helped define who we were growing up. We tend to remember which picture book we enjoyed the most when we were being tucked into bed at night. We remember the first real chapter book we ever read, over and over praising ourselves for the big step we were taking from books with pictures to book with purely words. And, eventually, we remember those books that helped to shape us into the individuals we are today. Growing up, I read Surviving the Applewhites when I was in...more We all have those books that helped define who we were growing up. We tend to remember which picture book we enjoyed the most when we were being tucked into bed at night. We remember the first real chapter book we ever read, over and over praising ourselves for the big step we were taking from books with pictures to book with purely words. And, eventually, we remember those books that helped to shape us into the individuals we are today. Growing up, I read Surviving the Applewhites when I was in the seventh grade – admittedly, a little older than the intended age group. But I fell in love with the eclectic and artistic family nonetheless. As a child who spent most of her time with her nose in a book and a writing tablet at my side, I could relate to the strange family found a camaraderie in the main character, E.D. Applewhite, who was trying to find her place in the world at the same time I was. I admired the characters, the plot, the book as a whole and especially the theme – that everyone is valuable, no matter what given talents they have. It has a permanent place on my bookshelf. So – ten years later – when I see that Stephanie S. Tolan has written a sequel, I could hardly contain my glee.

Originally, I thought I would be fairly biased when it came to reviewing this book. In fact, I hadn’t even intended to leave a review, but when I finished the book, I felt compelled to share my experience. The plot of the sequel involves the Applewhite family – after having found out that most of their money had been squandered – decided to open an arts camp for gifted children to help pay for the expenses of keeping up with the family home, called Wit’s End. Eventually, six children show up for the camp – all as different from each other as the Applewhite family itself. E.D. helps to coordinate camp activities as the rest of the family engages the campers in artistic workshops. There are several misadventures along the way, and the camp – Called Eureka! – doesn’t remain operating as smoothly as intended for very long. Not but a few weeks after opening, the family starts to receive threatening letters in the mail about camping regulations and threats to shut the camp down. In addition, there is a shady character walking around the sixteen acre grounds. I won’t reveal too much more, as the bulk of the book involves the family dealing with these catastrophes in a way in which the Applewhites can.

I loved getting the opportunity to be reintroduced to the family. The characters that I had grown to love in the first book are back with their usual spunk and even the bad-boy Jake kept me grinning from the first page to the last. But, as often happens in sequels, I feel the second book doesn’t hold up nearly as well as the first. (And, granted, there were problems with the first book that I chose to overlook, as I had been thirteen when I read it.) Many of the campers that were introduced in this book were cut-out characters that we really didn’t get to know very well. This, of course, is problematic if the bulk of the story is focused on the campers. I felt that if the book were a bit longer – and if the author could have focused some more on these new characters – the book would have been a good deal stronger. Also, the ending of the story felt entirely rushed to me. The first ninety percent of the book led up to the climax, which was resolved within ten pages. I felt that it could have been fleshed out a great deal more. And, in addition to that, we don’t know how the rest of the camp turns out, as she abruptly ends the book after the family decides to put on an end-of-camp production and show detailing all the hard work the campers had done. I do, however, approve of the final scene. But I won’t reveal TOO much about that.

Overall, this book was fun, easy read that I enjoyed. Anyone who has read the first one will love to meet the family again, but don’t expect the story to shine a light to the first.
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Sep 05, 2012 Peg rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, book-discussion, for-fun, humor, kids_fiction

When their bookkeeper absconds with most of their funds, the Applewhites know desperate times are at hand. They decide to turn their large property, a former motor inn, into a summer arts camp called Eureka! to help pay the mortgage. The adults, Jake, Cordelia, and Hal will lead workshops in their areas of expertise, while E.D. takes on organizing the camp, complete with spreadsheets and schedules. Young Destiny will be the mascot! Hoping to attract a minimum of twelve campers, they settle for s...more

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Feb 03, 2013 Barbara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: animals, art, bullies, community, families, friendship, gifted, ncbla2013, romance, rural-life

In this sequel to Surviving the Applewhites, there are quite a few eccentric Applewhites of which to track. After all the family's savings disappear through an embezzler, they decide to start a camp for creative children in order to pay their bills. As the creative and artistic Applewhites and Jake Semple join forces, each one of them assumes responsibility for different workshops. Readers won't be surprised at the types of campers who show up or how many of the careful plans of E. D. are quickl...more

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May 24, 2012 Tracey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

I won Applewhites at Wit's End as a LibraryThing Member Giveaway – and for that I have to thank them, because I enjoyed it thoroughly. It's yet another YA novel I wish had been around when I belonged to the targeted audience – it would have been an annual read.

Wit's End is – well, it sounds like heaven, in its way. It is a 16-acre former motor lodge which has been turned into a creative compound reigned over by the massively talented Applewhite clan. Clan in the classic sense: the extended fami...more I won Applewhites at Wit's End as a LibraryThing Member Giveaway – and for that I have to thank them, because I enjoyed it thoroughly. It's yet another YA novel I wish had been around when I belonged to the targeted audience – it would have been an annual read.

Wit's End is – well, it sounds like heaven, in its way. It is a 16-acre former motor lodge which has been turned into a creative compound reigned over by the massively talented Applewhite clan. Clan in the classic sense: the extended family lives and works here, and the tale of how that came about is apparently told in the first book, which I will have to look for soon. All of the arts are represented here, from sculpture to dance to theatre to literature – and so, when disaster strikes and money is suddenly short, the idea evolves that all this talent should be put to a new use: the complex will be converted into a summer arts camp, and all those fees from the dozens and dozens of kids whose parents will surely send them to take advantage of training by famous artists – surely this will solve all the Applewhite money problems.

It doesn't quite work out that way – which may be just as well, given the group's difficulties in handling the six precocious campers who do arrive.

The ensuing mess allows the kids to step up and save the day without the adults being reduced to – quite – morons or absentees. I think my only possible complaint about the book is that it falls into the habit of stereotyping creative folk as impractical and lacking in common sense; the only one of the Applewhites with any sense at all seems to be E.D., who has little or no creativity. The use of the stereotype is regrettable, I think – it seems to support the idea that it's very rare to be both "artsy" and sensible, and as an art school survivor who looks askance at everyone else's madness on a daily basis … well, it's more like just being sensible is rare, actually.

The attractions of the book are many for a kid like I was. As I mentioned, the concept of a self-contained world filled with all sorts of creativity, adults always ready to instruct and guide and encourage whatever ideas would crop up. Room, and company if you wanted it and privacy if you didn't, animals and the sort of private wilderness Anne Shirley made me crave – it's wonderful. The practical part of me would have bonded with E.D., who is a lovely character; there's always a part of me that itches to take charge when things aren't being done right, just as she has to do. And I loved the fact that there is an element of spite in her, which prompts her to keep a rather important piece of information to herself rather than passing it on to the relief of her father, whose fault the whole mess was. It's indicative of the tone of the book as a whole – funny, smart, and a tad bit irreverent. And fantastic.(less)

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Aug 16, 2012 M. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Sequel to Surviving the Applewhites. This is a fun read, but it probably makes more sense if you've read the first book. The artistic Applewhites are in financial trouble due to a crooked financial manager and to save their home, they decide to hold a summer camp for artistic children. They get a miscellaneous assortment of six children who aren't at all sure they want to be at the Applewhites' camp--no cell phones, no air conditioning, no swimming pool, just letters, fans, and a muddy pond. All...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Ryan rated it 3 of 5 stars

A reasonable sequel to the first - I think I like best that the kids are allowed to figure things out on their own. In this story, Wit's End is still a place of barely contained chaos, but with six new kids, not just one. The six arrive to attend a summer camp for creative kids - and also to bail the Applewhites' out of a financial mess.

E.D. is my favorite - far less prickly and obnoxious than her first appearance. She has always been the non-creative child, but discovers that her efficiency an...more

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Jul 04, 2012 Ellen Ramsey rated it 5 of 5 stars

If you loved Surviving the Applewhites, you'll love this book too. To avoid economic disaster, the eccentric cast of creative Applewhites decide to open a summer camp, aptly called Eureka! Optimistically, they expect many Eureka moments. They do not expect a group of campers as wild and whacky as they are. Nor do they expect an evil inspector who threatens to shut down the camp. Fortunately E.D., the organized Applewhite, Jake, the reformed juvenile delinquent, and the campers themselves join fo...more

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Mar 28, 2013 Christian H rated it 2 of 5 stars

I recently finished the book Applewhites at Wit's End by:) Stephanie S. Tolan. The main characters of this book are Jake Sempel, E.D. Applewhite, Destiny Applewhite, Randolph Applewhite, Lucille Applewhite, Sybil Applewhite, Winston the dog, Hal Applewhite, Cordelia Applewhite, Zedediah Applewhite, and Archie Applewhite. The pace of this book is fast. My favorite character is Lucille because shes always calm even in desperate situations. The genre of this book is realistic fiction. I was disappo...more

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Feb 13, 2012 Sam rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children

You can think of it as the jumbo-sized version of "let's put on a play and save the old school" -- let's put on a summer camp and save our family homestead! As Applewhites at Wit's End opens, the Applewhite clan -- a three-generation collective of creative types, all but one of whom are family members -- have lost all of their money due to accounting fraud, and are in danger of losing Wit's End, their combination home/studio/playhouse, which they've built from an abandoned motor lodge. In order...more

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Nov 03, 2012 Pam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012, middle-grade

A good, solid story for 8 to 12 year old kids. But I must admit being disappointed that the level of humor found in the first book was missing from this one. I read the first book Surviving the Applewhites upon the urging of my tween. That book was absurdly funny - the situation of the punk kid, Jake, used to getting attention for his look, profanity, and actions, being totally ignored when he comes to live with the dance-to-a-different-beat family of the Applewhites. I definitely recommend the...more

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Jun 17, 2012 Jenny rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: humor, realistic, strong-female-character

A fun visit with an interesting, creative, eccentric family. Wit's End -- what an exciting place to grow up or to go to camp! While the characters were interesting, I would have liked more development. The author just scratched the surface, and as a result the characters were more caricatures than fully realized people -- the handsome, self-centered camper; the non-creative, sensible daughter; the absent-minded father, etc. And, the ending wrapped it all up too quickly. That said, I enjoyed read...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Jill rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

The story started right away, with minimal introductions and moved quickly through the plot. Although the "hero" is the odd-one-out and a teenager, the primary message is that adults and youth can work together to create a successful whole. I put "hero" in quotes because most of the characters play an equally important role. As an entertaining story, there are goats, a pond full of muck, poison ivy, a state inspector, a parrot, an angry mother, orbs, and more.

This book contains alcohol use and r...more

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Jun 08, 2012 Danielle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: early-reviewer, children

The first thought that comes to mind after finishing the novel..."Yay!!"

The story starts with the Applewhites in danger of losing their home due to financial strains. So to solve their money problem, E.D.'s father, Randolph Applewhite, comes up with a plan to save their property...by starting a creative kids summer camp where kids will learn singing, dancing, painting, woodworking and sculpturing. Things get off to a rocky start. Campers want to go home and no one is getting along. Then a man in...more The first thought that comes to mind after finishing the novel..."Yay!!"

The story starts with the Applewhites in danger of losing their home due to financial strains. So to solve their money problem, E.D.'s father, Randolph Applewhite, comes up with a plan to save their property...by starting a creative kids summer camp where kids will learn singing, dancing, painting, woodworking and sculpturing. Things get off to a rocky start. Campers want to go home and no one is getting along. Then a man in a suit toting a clipboard appear on the Applewhite property, seemly to take notes for the North Carolina government while strange letters come daily in the mail and E.D. realizes all is not as it seems. As E.D. uncovers the truth behind the supposed government agent and the taunting letters, Jake has figured out a way to rally the campers to a universal cause to help keep the government from shutting down their beloved camp. And through it all, each camper learns and grows in their area of expertise while getting to know each other and realizing that working in a team is always better than working alone.

What I Liked: The novel starts with a dysfunctional, yet happy family, who pull together during tough times in order to help the family as a whole. I liked that the story began with a hyper, creative atmosphere, then ends on the same note. I also really enjoyed the way Ms. Tolan showcased how each individual camper grew through their experiences, especially Ginger's last poem, which could easily be printed in a poetry book. Each camper also had very distinct personalities that were wonderful and make readers feel that these characters can indeed be real people.

What I Didn't Like: The only thing that I thought needed more explanation was E.D.'s ended fascination with David. Perhaps the reason why no explanation was given was because Ms. Tolan wanted readers to feel that E.D.'s feelings had slowly waned. Other than that, it was a really good read!

I received this novel from Librarything.com Early Reviewer program. (less)

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Jul 31, 2012 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: realistic-fiction, middle-grade

The Applewhites are at it again! This time they have created a summer camp for gifted young artists in an effort to save their family from economic struggles. In true Applewhite fashion, however, they went full-steam ahead with their plans and didn't obtain permits to run the camp. Will the camp get shut down?

It has been much too long since the last Applewhite adventure! You can't not love this family in all their talented, dysfunctional-yet loving-glory.

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Sep 29, 2012 JennLynn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012-library

Sequel to the amazing "Surviving the Applewhites". This time the unique and creative family (plus Jake!) are running an impromptu summer camp for equally creative kids in the hopes of avoiding having to move. A mysterious stranger lurking about unites the kids and the family in unexpected - and of course creative - ways. A delightful read and a worth successor. Hopefully still more Applewhites books are on the way!

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Sep 16, 2012 Joanna rated it 3 of 5 stars

I only vaguely remember the first book in this series from middle school, but I read this one over the weekend and really enjoyed it! It's a light, entertaining read and the underlying message of the importance of being an individual while still being able to work with a group (or at least, that's what I thought the underlying message was...) is a good one.

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Jul 19, 2012 Nanci rated it 3 of 5 stars

This sequel is not as good as the original but if you like Surviving the Applewhites, you will enjoy a new adventure with this family. I wanted more from this book. There things I wanted the author to go into with more detail.I wasn't quite satisfied. Still, it elicited several chuckles while reading and a surprise at the end.(I wanted more detail on this as well).

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Jul 06, 2012 Chelsea rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-grade-fiction

I never read the Surviving the Applewhites, but this companion stands up on its own. The Applewhites are an amusing family, and despite mention of modern conveniences such as cell phones, the whole story has an appealing old-fashioned feel. I felt that the characters in general lacked depth - there was so much going on that there was little room to really get to know them, but perhaps that's what comes from not knowing them from the first book. Additionally, the mystery was resolved just as the...more

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Jan 24, 2013 Megan rated it 2 of 5 stars

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Nov 10, 2012 Kristen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, young-adult

Funny book.

The Applewhite family reminds me of the Bagthorpe family in the children's series (Ordinary Jack) by Helen Cresswell and the Casson family in the young adult series (Saffy's Angel) byHilary McKay. They are all full of quirky characters that make me laugh.

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Jan 29, 2013 Emmy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, children-and-ya-books

I liked the first Applewhite's book very much. As a teacher it made a good class novel, with interesting characters, dual narrators, and challenging vocabulary. This one fell flat as a sequel. It was interesting enough, but weakly developed and I would give it to a much lower level reader than the first novel. Where did all of the great vocabulary go? This one really wouldn't work as a stand alone novel - you need the character development from the first one to make this story work, but the writ...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Lydia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, childrens

I loved the first book, Surviving the Applewhites, so I was excited to read the sequel! The first book is better, but both are hilarious, especially if you’re familiar with homeschooling and/or unschooling.

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Aug 26, 2012 Lindy K rated it 2 of 5 stars

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. It is a light and breezy read, good for the intermediate grades. One does not need to have read the first book to enjoy this one.

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Jun 21, 2012 Lynn rated it 4 of 5 stars

A wonderful romp! It was great to get more witty fun at Wit's End. This time the Applewhites take on summer camp and of course chaos ensues. A perfect summer read.

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Dec 17, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kids-books-i-would-recommend, 2012

Another funny adventure with the quirky Applewhite family. Fans of Hilary McKay's Casson family novels will feel right at home in Wit's End.

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Aug 02, 2012 Brooke Shirts rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, middle-grade-fiction

Lovely to have another outing with the Applewhites family but . . . was it just me, or was there zero character development in this book?

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About Stephanie S. Tolan

Stephanie S. Tolan's earliest memories involve books. Those that were read to her and those she read to herself, often late at night with a flashlight under the covers. She always thought there was a special magic in the little black marks on paper that could turn into whole worlds and real people. Born in Ohio and raised in Wisconsin, she wrote her first story in the fourth grade. It was thrillin...more Stephanie S. Tolan's earliest memories involve books. Those that were read to her and those she read to herself, often late at night with a flashlight under the covers. She always thought there was a special magic in the little black marks on paper that could turn into whole worlds and real people. Born in Ohio and raised in Wisconsin, she wrote her first story in the fourth grade. It was thrilling to discover she could make the magic herself, and she decided then and there to be a writer.

Other ambitions came and went, but writing stayed on, and she majored in creative writing at Purdue University, then went on to a Master's Degree in English. Marriage and the sudden addition to her life of three young stepsons, and then a son, forced writing into the nooks and crannies, but she wrote poetry and plays for adults as she taught college English. In the mid-seventies, Stephanie began working in the Poets-in-the-Schools program in Pennsylvania. Her first group of students were fourth and fifth graders, and she found among them a new generation of intense readers, still using the flashlight-under-the-covers trick.

"They brought back to me that special reading joy that most adults, even the readers among us, have lost, and I wanted to try my hand at writing for those kids, so like myself at their age and yet so different."

The difference, she felt, was less in the children themselves than in the fast-changing world they lived in. Her writing for children and young adults, beginning with Grandpa -- And Me in 1978, has reflected that contemporary world.
Stephanie Tolan is also well known as an advocate for extremely bright children. She co-authored the award-winning nonfiction book, Guiding the Gifted Child, and has written many articles about the challenges gifted "asynchronous" children and adults face as they find a way to fit into their world. She lectures throughout the country to audiences of parents, educators and counselors attempting to find ways to meet the children's needs. Her experiences with these "amazing, off-the-charts" young people inspired the themes of Welcome to the Ark, a powerful novel about four brilliant young misfits in a world teetering on destruction.
Stephanie Tolan currently lives in Charlotte, NC, with her husband.(less)

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Quotes from Applewhites at Wit's End

“Kids learn not so much from what they're taught as from what they do.” — 2 people liked it

“....You all have another month to encourage these kids to do what they do best-"
"Not just what they do best!" E.D. protested.
Jake nodded. "If that's all they do, how will they ever find out the rest of who they are?” — 1 person liked it

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Applewhites at Wit's End (Applewhites Family #2)

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