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The Summer of Mrs. MacGregor
Torn between devotion for and jealousy of her beautiful and much-admired invalid sister, twelve-year-old Caroline's drab self-image begins to change when she meets the glamorous Lillina MacGregor who makes her feel important.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1986
About the author
Betty Ren Wright
98 books297 followersBetty Ren Wright was an award-winning author of children's fiction including The Dollhouse Murders, The Ghosts Of Mercy Manor and A Ghost in The House.
Known for her ghost stories and mysteries, Wright published 28 children's novels between 1981 and 2006, as well as picture books and short stories. Prior to pursuing her career as a full-time author in 1978, she worked as an editor of children's books.
Wright lived in Wisconsin with her husband, painter George A. Fredericksen, until her death in 2013.
Known for her ghost stories and mysteries, Wright published 28 children's novels between 1981 and 2006, as well as picture books and short stories. Prior to pursuing her career as a full-time author in 1978, she worked as an editor of children's books.
Wright lived in Wisconsin with her husband, painter George A. Fredericksen, until her death in 2013.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 4, 2018
The Summer of Mrs. MacGregor is another 1980s Apple paperback I discovered on Instagram and read on Open Library. Caroline Cabot is twelve and feeling lonely and left out while her beautiful sister, Linda, who has a heart condition, is away receiving treatment in a hospital. Enter Lillina MacGregor. Though, at 17, she isn't much older than Caroline herself, Lillina claims to be married and a model in New York. She dresses very glamorously, and just by association, makes Caroline feel more confident and more interesting. As the summer passes by, however, it becomes clear that perhaps Lillina isn't telling the whole truth and that her beauty and sophistication mask a much more ordinary life than she would admit to having.
Though this particular novel is not a mystery, Betty Ren Wright did write a number of ghost stories and mysteries, and some aspects of this book reveal her preference for this genre. Lillina is presented as a mysterious character from the start, and there is a growing sense of suspense throughout the story as the reader begins to see some holes in Lillina's story. Lillina also makes the reader feel uncomfortable at times, as she is difficult to read and does not tell much of the truth. The question of the health of Caroline's sister also casts a somewhat dark pall over the story, contributing to an overall feeling of foreboding and worry.
With these mysterious elements, however, there is also a sense of empowerment as Caroline begins to see herself not just as Linda's sister, but as an interesting and valuable person in her own right. Though Lillina may not be what she pretends to be, the attention she bestows upon Caroline still brings about some very real changes in Caroline's perception of herself and her place in the world. Though Lillina is very much a real person, her impact on Caroline's life felt a lot like the way Anna's life is changed by the mysterious Marnie in When Marnie Was There. This book also felt a lot like some of Janet Taylor Lisle's writings, which often involve unlikely friendships with characters who have something mysterious and even sinister about them.
I was not expecting such depth and substance based on the cheesy cover of this book, but I was not disappointed to find that the book offers more than meets the eye.
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
Though this particular novel is not a mystery, Betty Ren Wright did write a number of ghost stories and mysteries, and some aspects of this book reveal her preference for this genre. Lillina is presented as a mysterious character from the start, and there is a growing sense of suspense throughout the story as the reader begins to see some holes in Lillina's story. Lillina also makes the reader feel uncomfortable at times, as she is difficult to read and does not tell much of the truth. The question of the health of Caroline's sister also casts a somewhat dark pall over the story, contributing to an overall feeling of foreboding and worry.
With these mysterious elements, however, there is also a sense of empowerment as Caroline begins to see herself not just as Linda's sister, but as an interesting and valuable person in her own right. Though Lillina may not be what she pretends to be, the attention she bestows upon Caroline still brings about some very real changes in Caroline's perception of herself and her place in the world. Though Lillina is very much a real person, her impact on Caroline's life felt a lot like the way Anna's life is changed by the mysterious Marnie in When Marnie Was There. This book also felt a lot like some of Janet Taylor Lisle's writings, which often involve unlikely friendships with characters who have something mysterious and even sinister about them.
I was not expecting such depth and substance based on the cheesy cover of this book, but I was not disappointed to find that the book offers more than meets the eye.
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
October 22, 2021
Not a big fan of this one if I'm honest :(
I went into this thinking that it was a ghost story. I've been reading a lot of Betty Ren Wright's ghost stories recently because they are childhood favourites and I've been revisiting them. I don't remember reading this one when I was little, so I didn't know what to expect.
Liliana's character was one I knew was sketchy from the start. And while I can understand why Caroline would think so highly of someone like Liliana, I hated to see an innocent little kid being pulled into something that I knew would only turn out to be a huge mess. Liliana is also just a kid, and needs help, but it should not be up to a 12-year-old to give her the help she needed.
I went into this thinking that it was a ghost story. I've been reading a lot of Betty Ren Wright's ghost stories recently because they are childhood favourites and I've been revisiting them. I don't remember reading this one when I was little, so I didn't know what to expect.
Liliana's character was one I knew was sketchy from the start. And while I can understand why Caroline would think so highly of someone like Liliana, I hated to see an innocent little kid being pulled into something that I knew would only turn out to be a huge mess. Liliana is also just a kid, and needs help, but it should not be up to a 12-year-old to give her the help she needed.
February 10, 2012
"lies" was my one-word description in grade 7.
November 2, 2024
Interesting. There were some unanswered pieces, this would have been a good series.
September 8, 2019
I recently found a box of my old favorite reads from middle school. This was one of them. At the time I thought Lillina was so glam but as an adult you can tell she's super troubled. I wouldn't have wanted my daughter to hang with her either so I relate more to Joe.
August 3, 2025
“‘Cut that out!’ Caroline, who never made scenes, was shouting. It felt good. Shouting was better than crying, and she’d been very close to tears a minute before. ‘I don’t want my picture taken!’ she roared. ‘Who are you, anyway?’” Twelve-year-old Caroline Cabot is having a crappy summer vacation at the beginning of this book: her older sister Linda is very ill with a mysterious heart condition, and her mother and stepfather Joe tend to ignore Caroline in the midst of all of Linda’s health concerns. As Linda is being taken away to the hospital by ambulance, Caroline comes face to face with a bizarre girl who tries to take her photograph during a very painful moment.
This girl introduces herself as Mrs. Lillina MacGregor, and also quickly reveals to Caroline that she is seventeen-years-old, married to a very wealthy thirty-five-year-old man named Frederick, and lives on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. When Caroline asks Lillina what she’s doing in Wisconsin, Lillina explains that she is staying with her mother’s friend (and Caroline’s neighbor) Mrs. Reston while Frederick supervises the builders of their (presumably) second house in Connecticut.
From the beginning of Caroline’s odd friendship with Lillina, Caroline does not take Lillina completely seriously, but finds her zany personality to be a fun diversion from feeling invisible within her own family during a serious crisis. Caroline has had to grow up fairly quickly for a twelve-year-old in some respects; she is constantly cognizant of the extra stress placed on her parents because of Linda’s declining condition, as well as her mother’s attempts to keep cheerful for Linda’s sake: “Quick footsteps sounded in the hall, and Mrs. Cabot came in. Her face was set in the smile-mask she always wore in this room. Caroline wondered if Linda guessed how quickly the mask slipped away outside the door.”
Caroline even takes a job running errands for an elderly neighbor (in order to save up money to take a trip to England) and learns an extremely mature lesson for her age: “Sometimes, when Linda was sickest, Joe would say, ‘Thank God for my job. If I didn’t have a job, I’d go crazy.’ For the first time, Caroline understood how he felt. She could hardly wait to leave the house.”
After Linda and Mrs. Cabot go to Boston for experimental treatment, Lillina is able to somewhat fill the vacuum in Caroline’s life from their absence with her tall tales and questionable antics. Caroline notices Lillina’s affectations almost immediately (“She talked like—like a film star, maybe, or a member of the jet set.”) and is initially amused when Lillina takes her to the most expensive clothing store in town just to try on dresses and act glamorous in front of the saleswoman: “‘Something in black linen, I think.’ Lillina said the words slowly, looking around the store as if she doubted she could be satisfied. The man on the sofa had stopped watching the dressing-room door and was staring at Lillina instead. Caroline fought an attack of nervous giggles. She wanted to run away almost as much as she wanted to see what was going to happen next.”
Lillina also tells Caroline about a talented younger sister named Eleanor who is also twelve, and Eleanor becomes someone in Caroline’s mind that she aspires to be like: “What would Eleanor do? […] Asking the question had become a useful sort of habit. It helped to have a friend who knew how to face up to problems.” As fun as Lillina is, Caroline also begins to notice Lillina’s more detrimental personality aspects: Lillina has no qualms about wasting the clothing store saleswoman’s time (“The clerk’s face flushed with resentment and weariness. […] The excitement of the last half-hour began to fade fast.”), and does not see the inherent danger in trying to befriend a snarling dog who is loose in the neighborhood.
No adult in town seems to trust Lillina, and whenever Caroline visits Lillina at the Restons, she gets a very different picture than the worldly image Lillina tries to present: “Mrs. Reston glanced over her shoulder and lowered her voice slightly. ‘I’m so glad you’ve befriended her, Caroline. She needs a nice, down-to-earth friendship, I’m sure.’” Things eventually come to a head when Lillina and a large amount of money both go missing, and Caroline is able to find Lillina and confront her about her many falsehoods.
Out of all of the lies spun by Lillina, Caroline is most interested and emotionally invested in why Lillina completely fabricated having a sister: “Caroline held her breath, longing to hear something that would make Eleanor live again. She didn’t care about Frederick—she’d never been absolutely sure there was a Frederick—but Eleanor was different. Eleanor had been an important part of this summer.” This is such an interesting book, and I love the way that Lillina both complicates and improves Caroline’s life. Yes, Lillina is dishonest, and clearly needs more attention and guidance, but she also helps distract Caroline from her troubles and become a more confident person by the end of summer, too. I rate The Summer of Mrs. MacGregor as five-out-of-five-stars and highly recommend this book!
This girl introduces herself as Mrs. Lillina MacGregor, and also quickly reveals to Caroline that she is seventeen-years-old, married to a very wealthy thirty-five-year-old man named Frederick, and lives on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. When Caroline asks Lillina what she’s doing in Wisconsin, Lillina explains that she is staying with her mother’s friend (and Caroline’s neighbor) Mrs. Reston while Frederick supervises the builders of their (presumably) second house in Connecticut.
From the beginning of Caroline’s odd friendship with Lillina, Caroline does not take Lillina completely seriously, but finds her zany personality to be a fun diversion from feeling invisible within her own family during a serious crisis. Caroline has had to grow up fairly quickly for a twelve-year-old in some respects; she is constantly cognizant of the extra stress placed on her parents because of Linda’s declining condition, as well as her mother’s attempts to keep cheerful for Linda’s sake: “Quick footsteps sounded in the hall, and Mrs. Cabot came in. Her face was set in the smile-mask she always wore in this room. Caroline wondered if Linda guessed how quickly the mask slipped away outside the door.”
Caroline even takes a job running errands for an elderly neighbor (in order to save up money to take a trip to England) and learns an extremely mature lesson for her age: “Sometimes, when Linda was sickest, Joe would say, ‘Thank God for my job. If I didn’t have a job, I’d go crazy.’ For the first time, Caroline understood how he felt. She could hardly wait to leave the house.”
After Linda and Mrs. Cabot go to Boston for experimental treatment, Lillina is able to somewhat fill the vacuum in Caroline’s life from their absence with her tall tales and questionable antics. Caroline notices Lillina’s affectations almost immediately (“She talked like—like a film star, maybe, or a member of the jet set.”) and is initially amused when Lillina takes her to the most expensive clothing store in town just to try on dresses and act glamorous in front of the saleswoman: “‘Something in black linen, I think.’ Lillina said the words slowly, looking around the store as if she doubted she could be satisfied. The man on the sofa had stopped watching the dressing-room door and was staring at Lillina instead. Caroline fought an attack of nervous giggles. She wanted to run away almost as much as she wanted to see what was going to happen next.”
Lillina also tells Caroline about a talented younger sister named Eleanor who is also twelve, and Eleanor becomes someone in Caroline’s mind that she aspires to be like: “What would Eleanor do? […] Asking the question had become a useful sort of habit. It helped to have a friend who knew how to face up to problems.” As fun as Lillina is, Caroline also begins to notice Lillina’s more detrimental personality aspects: Lillina has no qualms about wasting the clothing store saleswoman’s time (“The clerk’s face flushed with resentment and weariness. […] The excitement of the last half-hour began to fade fast.”), and does not see the inherent danger in trying to befriend a snarling dog who is loose in the neighborhood.
No adult in town seems to trust Lillina, and whenever Caroline visits Lillina at the Restons, she gets a very different picture than the worldly image Lillina tries to present: “Mrs. Reston glanced over her shoulder and lowered her voice slightly. ‘I’m so glad you’ve befriended her, Caroline. She needs a nice, down-to-earth friendship, I’m sure.’” Things eventually come to a head when Lillina and a large amount of money both go missing, and Caroline is able to find Lillina and confront her about her many falsehoods.
Out of all of the lies spun by Lillina, Caroline is most interested and emotionally invested in why Lillina completely fabricated having a sister: “Caroline held her breath, longing to hear something that would make Eleanor live again. She didn’t care about Frederick—she’d never been absolutely sure there was a Frederick—but Eleanor was different. Eleanor had been an important part of this summer.” This is such an interesting book, and I love the way that Lillina both complicates and improves Caroline’s life. Yes, Lillina is dishonest, and clearly needs more attention and guidance, but she also helps distract Caroline from her troubles and become a more confident person by the end of summer, too. I rate The Summer of Mrs. MacGregor as five-out-of-five-stars and highly recommend this book!
June 9, 2024
I was OBSESSED with this story after I read it as a kid.
March 15, 2026
it was alright
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews