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The Kellyhorns
Eleven-year-old Pam and Penny Kellyhorn are twins who have just met, but it doesn't take them long to learn to be sisters as they try to rekindle the romance between Aunt Ivory and Puppa.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1942
2 people are currently reading
121 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Cooney
135 books238 followersBarbara Cooney was an American writer and illustrator of 110 children's books, published over sixty years. She received two Caldecott Medals for her work on Chanticleer and the Fox and Ox-Cart Man, and a National Book Award for Miss Rumphius. Her books have been translated into 10 languages.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
November 18, 2021
3.5
I found this 1940 book about separated twins charming. I don't expect to reread it, but it suited my current mood for something undemanding. As far as I know, this is Barbara Cooney's only middle grade chapter book. Later, of course, she became much more famous as an illustrator.
I found this 1940 book about separated twins charming. I don't expect to reread it, but it suited my current mood for something undemanding. As far as I know, this is Barbara Cooney's only middle grade chapter book. Later, of course, she became much more famous as an illustrator.
August 24, 2009
AMAZING! Anyone ever watched Disney's 'Parent trap'? Well, they totally ripped off the plot from The Kellyhorns. This version is much more realistic, and funny, with Aunt Ivory a wonderful character.
February 14, 2020
Cleanliness
Children's Bad Words
Mild Obscenities & Substitutions - 12 Incidents: Heavenly Nellie, for the love of Crow Pete, durned, shut up, land sakes!, Jimminy!, oh shucks, heck, by gorry
Name Calling - 16 Incidents: queer duck, you old codfish, hellcat, foolish old codger, the old rascals, dummy, young ruffian, that old fool, dummy, you little fool, you idiot. Mentions men call another man many names: “dog, rat, pig, jackass, hog, rattlesnake, skunk, and so forth.”
Scatological Terms - 1 Incident: bl**dy (as in lots of blood)
Religious Profanities - 5 Incidents: My goodness, Lord, Thank heavens, Oh, my God!
Religious & Supernatural - None
Romance Related - 12 Incidents: The story is about two people that were once in love and that everyone is trying to match-up again. There is mention of love, playing cupid, etc. throughout. A girl finds out her aunt was “disappointed in love.” A friend reads too many “love and romance magazines.” An aunt shares her past romance story with her niece. In a man’s room is various postcards hanging on the walls - one is of a girl in bloomers and the Grandpa says “Nice legs.”
Mentions underwear. Everyone in the family goes to a dance. An old man teases about wishing to be at a corn husking where “whoever found a red ear could kiss whomever he pleased.” Mentions children getting underwear for presents. An old couple decide to marry. Of an old woman, “cake crumbs … sitting … on her ample bosom.” The word “bosom” is used to mean chest.
Attitudes/Disobedience - 6 Incidents: A girl forgets about her aunt’s warning not to do anything dangerous. A girl pretends around adults that she’s mannered and polite. A girl has her toes painted although her mother doesn’t want her to. She also insults her friend about her aunt. Two girls discuss a minister and how awful he was. Children know a secret surprise and lie so as not to give it away. A boy says he feels “fine” even though his leg hurts.
Conversation Topics - 11 Incidents: People smoke pipes, cigar, cigarette. Mentions a stone that looked like a witch’s head. A drunk is mentioned and a lady lies about not having the drunk man’s cat (he abuses his animals). Mentions someone as drunk as a lord. It mentions that there is a Hallow’een dance. An old man admits he’s a liar and a cheat. He did it only because he was trying to match a couple up and didn’t want the lady going back home. Santa Claus and Mrs Claus are mentioned a few times throughout the book. A couple lie to keep a lady’s whereabouts secret as she wished. A circus comes to town and a brief description is given of the costumes of the actresses and how some thought the costumes indecent. A performer in the circus is called “Blubbo the Voracious Cannibal.” A man curses: “To this Nate added as string of nouns none of which Penny had ever heard before.”
Parent Takeaway
This is a story about twin sisters and several relatives/friends playing cupid to get a couple married. Most of the "lying" in the story is because the friends and relatives can't reveal their plans to the unsuspecting couple.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! You’ll see my updates as I’m reading and know which books I’m liking and what I’m not finishing and why. You’ll also be able to utilize my library for looking up titles to see whether the book you’re thinking about reading next has any objectionable content or not. From swear words, to romance, to bad attitudes (in children’s books), I cover it all!
Children's Bad Words
Mild Obscenities & Substitutions - 12 Incidents: Heavenly Nellie, for the love of Crow Pete, durned, shut up, land sakes!, Jimminy!, oh shucks, heck, by gorry
Name Calling - 16 Incidents: queer duck, you old codfish, hellcat, foolish old codger, the old rascals, dummy, young ruffian, that old fool, dummy, you little fool, you idiot. Mentions men call another man many names: “dog, rat, pig, jackass, hog, rattlesnake, skunk, and so forth.”
Scatological Terms - 1 Incident: bl**dy (as in lots of blood)
Religious Profanities - 5 Incidents: My goodness, Lord, Thank heavens, Oh, my God!
Religious & Supernatural - None
Romance Related - 12 Incidents: The story is about two people that were once in love and that everyone is trying to match-up again. There is mention of love, playing cupid, etc. throughout. A girl finds out her aunt was “disappointed in love.” A friend reads too many “love and romance magazines.” An aunt shares her past romance story with her niece. In a man’s room is various postcards hanging on the walls - one is of a girl in bloomers and the Grandpa says “Nice legs.”
Mentions underwear. Everyone in the family goes to a dance. An old man teases about wishing to be at a corn husking where “whoever found a red ear could kiss whomever he pleased.” Mentions children getting underwear for presents. An old couple decide to marry. Of an old woman, “cake crumbs … sitting … on her ample bosom.” The word “bosom” is used to mean chest.
Attitudes/Disobedience - 6 Incidents: A girl forgets about her aunt’s warning not to do anything dangerous. A girl pretends around adults that she’s mannered and polite. A girl has her toes painted although her mother doesn’t want her to. She also insults her friend about her aunt. Two girls discuss a minister and how awful he was. Children know a secret surprise and lie so as not to give it away. A boy says he feels “fine” even though his leg hurts.
Conversation Topics - 11 Incidents: People smoke pipes, cigar, cigarette. Mentions a stone that looked like a witch’s head. A drunk is mentioned and a lady lies about not having the drunk man’s cat (he abuses his animals). Mentions someone as drunk as a lord. It mentions that there is a Hallow’een dance. An old man admits he’s a liar and a cheat. He did it only because he was trying to match a couple up and didn’t want the lady going back home. Santa Claus and Mrs Claus are mentioned a few times throughout the book. A couple lie to keep a lady’s whereabouts secret as she wished. A circus comes to town and a brief description is given of the costumes of the actresses and how some thought the costumes indecent. A performer in the circus is called “Blubbo the Voracious Cannibal.” A man curses: “To this Nate added as string of nouns none of which Penny had ever heard before.”
Parent Takeaway
This is a story about twin sisters and several relatives/friends playing cupid to get a couple married. Most of the "lying" in the story is because the friends and relatives can't reveal their plans to the unsuspecting couple.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! You’ll see my updates as I’m reading and know which books I’m liking and what I’m not finishing and why. You’ll also be able to utilize my library for looking up titles to see whether the book you’re thinking about reading next has any objectionable content or not. From swear words, to romance, to bad attitudes (in children’s books), I cover it all!
January 20, 2013
Such a charming little vintage story of two twin girls, separated at birth who find each other at a fair! Follow the girls as they join forces to find out their history, fight fires, go to the circus to see a lion tamer, live on Indian Island at the lighthouse, and have all kinds of grand adventures along with their Aunt Ivory, their father, and their cousin Barney.
The story is divided up by season, which I found to be fun. :)
There were a very few minor things like one of the girls calling another child "dummy" or something of the sort, and a couple other things I didn't especially love about the book (though nothing that would make it unsuitable really). It does have the same kind of feel as "The Boxcar Children" series, about the same time period too I'd say. Children would love reading this story as the 3 kids in the story attempt to bring their little family together.
The story is divided up by season, which I found to be fun. :)
There were a very few minor things like one of the girls calling another child "dummy" or something of the sort, and a couple other things I didn't especially love about the book (though nothing that would make it unsuitable really). It does have the same kind of feel as "The Boxcar Children" series, about the same time period too I'd say. Children would love reading this story as the 3 kids in the story attempt to bring their little family together.
Read
September 9, 2017Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into this one.
March 19, 2016
4.5 stars
The last time I read this book was years ago, so I didn't remember much about it(except for Aunt Ivory-- which just goes to show what a great character she is!), but this delightful story was absolutely worth re-reading! Essentially, the story is very similar to that of the Parent Trap movies, but with more thrills and chills and a broader focus. Set in 1940s Maine, the book follows reunited twins Penny and Pamela Kellyhorn, and subplots like Aunt Ivory's relationship with the girls' father, and a cruel neighbor who goes to great lengths to get revenge on Aunt Ivory for refusing to give back his mistreated cat.
The story is told with warmth and simply radiates vintage charm, thanks in part to the author's sweet illustrations. I love the small-town Maine setting(especially on the island), and the characters fit right into the atmosphere of it. Barbara Cooney even managed to create a villain who despite not being powerful or outwardly frightening, is genuinely menacing at times. And did I mention what a cool character Aunt Ivory is? She's smart, courageous, no-nonsense, loves cats, and has diverse talents(there probably aren't many fictional characters out there who train their pets to do complicated tricks and sew prize-winning quilts for the county fair too).
There was one little thing that really bugged me about this book-- on page 24 it says that Ivory is "the daughter of Joseph Kellyhorn", but her last name is Perry(and no, she'd never been married) and Kellyhorn is the last name of the twins' father, Ivory's brother-in-law. So it really makes no sense that Ivory's father's surname was apparently Kellyhorn. Am I missing something here or was it just a mistake in the writing? Oh well...
So, to sum it up, The Kellyhorns is a sweet, wholesome story(with some mystery and thrills sprinkled in) that can justly be called a "hidden gem"! And I won't give anything away, but the very last sentence of the book wraps everything up just perfectly and adds a delightful twist to the story.
The last time I read this book was years ago, so I didn't remember much about it(except for Aunt Ivory-- which just goes to show what a great character she is!), but this delightful story was absolutely worth re-reading! Essentially, the story is very similar to that of the Parent Trap movies, but with more thrills and chills and a broader focus. Set in 1940s Maine, the book follows reunited twins Penny and Pamela Kellyhorn, and subplots like Aunt Ivory's relationship with the girls' father, and a cruel neighbor who goes to great lengths to get revenge on Aunt Ivory for refusing to give back his mistreated cat.
The story is told with warmth and simply radiates vintage charm, thanks in part to the author's sweet illustrations. I love the small-town Maine setting(especially on the island), and the characters fit right into the atmosphere of it. Barbara Cooney even managed to create a villain who despite not being powerful or outwardly frightening, is genuinely menacing at times. And did I mention what a cool character Aunt Ivory is? She's smart, courageous, no-nonsense, loves cats, and has diverse talents(there probably aren't many fictional characters out there who train their pets to do complicated tricks and sew prize-winning quilts for the county fair too).
There was one little thing that really bugged me about this book-- on page 24 it says that Ivory is "the daughter of Joseph Kellyhorn", but her last name is Perry(and no, she'd never been married) and Kellyhorn is the last name of the twins' father, Ivory's brother-in-law. So it really makes no sense that Ivory's father's surname was apparently Kellyhorn. Am I missing something here or was it just a mistake in the writing? Oh well...
So, to sum it up, The Kellyhorns is a sweet, wholesome story(with some mystery and thrills sprinkled in) that can justly be called a "hidden gem"! And I won't give anything away, but the very last sentence of the book wraps everything up just perfectly and adds a delightful twist to the story.
July 10, 2010
This is a heart-warming old-fashioned book set in an earlier era (1940s?) in the tradition of "The Parent Trap". Penny Kellyhorn meets her long-lost twin Pamela Kellyhorn at the County Fair and they immediately start to scheme to get their father and their Aunt Ivory together.
Read
August 19, 2020Honestly love this book. I read it as a kid, and I fully recommend it to anyone with kids. It's a story about long-lost twins who meet coincidentally at a fair, and the adventures they get up to as they try to reunite their family. It's sweet, light and fun for children to read, and a perfect introduction for longer, more advanced classics such as Little Women.
June 21, 2024
I've been a fan of Barbara Cooney's picture books, especially the wonderful Miss Rumphius, for many years, but I wasn't aware until recently that she'd written this novel. I feel certain the plot must have inspired Disney's "The Parent Trap," especially since the publisher of this paperback edition is Volo Books, a trademark of Disney Enterprises. So, not only did Mother Carey's Chickens serve as a basis for the film "Summer Magic" and Pollyanna for the film "Pollyanna," but "The Parent Trap" also evolved from a children's book from an earlier era. I would love to know if there was a particular Disney employee who knew or discovered these books and felt they would make good movies to feature Hayley Mills!
December 14, 2020
Aunt Ivory should have been a lesbian
June 9, 2020
rating: 3.5
This book was published in 1942, when Cooney was 25 years old, so she wrote this in her early 20s, which is why I decided to read it. I've enjoyed her picture books; here she focuses on a different audience. The story reflects the time when this was written, reminding me of Bobbsey Twins, Boxcar children, and others from that era. It's light and fun with lots of action. The plot is reminiscent of "Parent Trap," which I loved as a child, so I'm sure that I would have liked this book, too. (But as an adult, I found some of the 'adventures' in the middle third of the book to be a little tedious.)
Cooney does include descriptions of location and weather, but it's done in a way that will enhance the story for young readers. For example.
p 187: The spruce trees at the top of the island were so laden down with snow that the lower branches touched the ground, forming snowy tents beneath them.
This book was published in 1942, when Cooney was 25 years old, so she wrote this in her early 20s, which is why I decided to read it. I've enjoyed her picture books; here she focuses on a different audience. The story reflects the time when this was written, reminding me of Bobbsey Twins, Boxcar children, and others from that era. It's light and fun with lots of action. The plot is reminiscent of "Parent Trap," which I loved as a child, so I'm sure that I would have liked this book, too. (But as an adult, I found some of the 'adventures' in the middle third of the book to be a little tedious.)
Cooney does include descriptions of location and weather, but it's done in a way that will enhance the story for young readers. For example.
p 187: The spruce trees at the top of the island were so laden down with snow that the lower branches touched the ground, forming snowy tents beneath them.
July 17, 2015
This is a cute little story. Twins are separated at birth, randomly reunite at a county fair - and the rest of the book details their adventures and attempts to reunite their torn family. The story is fun and interesting with several different twists and turns along the way. However, I found the plot-line itself to be very unrealistic and hardly believable. Most of the major events happened so suddenly that they appeared not only rash - but completely out of character. You aren't given enough insight into the characters and their thought process to make them seem anything but brash, random people who live their lives on the impulse of the moment. That fact hampers what is otherwise a cute, clean, and entertaining children's story from being all it could be. It's not bad, but it's far from a great story.
March 29, 2016
While I was reading this book I had the strangest feeling I had read it somewhere before. And then out of the blue I realized that this was "Parent Trap"! I have to wonder if it had any basis in the movie. After the first half of the book the similarities end altogether. Except for the matchmaking under way. I know several young ones who will enjoy this book despite its age. It has stood the test of time well. And also Barbara Cooney is a fav.
April 19, 2010
I learned that true love will just come at the right time. Although there were instances in your life that you think that it's all gone and you can't rephrase it, we'll just hope for the best. Time will just tell and GOD will just let it happen if it's right for you. Just like what happened to the love story of Aunt Ivory (Aunt of the twins- Pamela and Penny Kellyhorn) and their father.
April 11, 2017
Got this in a used bookstore in St. Petersburg when Dee and I went in Feb. 2016. In old fashioned, comfy style it is like The Orphan and the Mouse. Loved them both!
First Line: " 'Now, Don't Do anything dangerous,' Aunt Ivory admonished Pamela."
First Line: " 'Now, Don't Do anything dangerous,' Aunt Ivory admonished Pamela."
August 10, 2015
This was a cute book. Maybe I would have loved it had I been 8 years old at the first reading. Instead, it was mostly grating. With a little nod to cuteness.
January 26, 2018
I loved this book, which is about long-lost twin sisters who are reunited.
October 18, 2024
An enjoyable (though somewhat long) book that includes several mini-stories. We start out at a good old fair and we end up at a circus. In between there are hijinks, mystery, danger, (grown up) romance, and even a courtroom drama. These little episodes aren't enough to have been books on their own, but one does get the feeling that Cooney was trying to squeeze in a lot in this, her second of three novels, all published while WWII was raging.
Cooney isn't a superlative author of children's novels, but rather a very competent one. Maybe she felt (or was told) that she could be more successful by focusing on illustrations for her own and others' picture books. Certainly she was a real master in that area. What I liked most about this book were the characters. These small town folks from Twidboro and Abbidydumkeag, Maine have individuality, feelings, hopes, and desires. And there's a real good villain or two.
Despite the similarity in name to the more northerly Passadumkeag, I'm not sure that's where the fictional setting is based on. Cooney herself - after vactioning regularly in Maine, particularly Waldoboro - later resided in Walpole and nearby Damariscotta, but the description seems to fit Waldoboro better, with the Alewife River standing in for the Medomak, famous for its alewives. The book has Indian Island, but I'm not sure to what that might correspond. Penobscot Bay, Vinalhaven, and Isle au Haut get no aliases at all.
Cooney dedicates the book "To my twin," (decidedly non-identical, as a brother) and a healthy portion of this book deals with identical twins separated at birth who unexpectedly meet up. You can guess where this leads. While twinly mix-ups go back centuries in literature, it's worth noting that this book was published seven years before Erich Kastner wrote what is known around here as The Parent Trap. After much ado, Cooney resolves things in a culmination worthy of a Shakespeare comedy.
Unforunately, Cooney's other two novels are rarer than hens' teeth. Each is only in about 15 libraries in WorldCat and a third of those are outside the U.S.
Cooney isn't a superlative author of children's novels, but rather a very competent one. Maybe she felt (or was told) that she could be more successful by focusing on illustrations for her own and others' picture books. Certainly she was a real master in that area. What I liked most about this book were the characters. These small town folks from Twidboro and Abbidydumkeag, Maine have individuality, feelings, hopes, and desires. And there's a real good villain or two.
Despite the similarity in name to the more northerly Passadumkeag, I'm not sure that's where the fictional setting is based on. Cooney herself - after vactioning regularly in Maine, particularly Waldoboro - later resided in Walpole and nearby Damariscotta, but the description seems to fit Waldoboro better, with the Alewife River standing in for the Medomak, famous for its alewives. The book has Indian Island, but I'm not sure to what that might correspond. Penobscot Bay, Vinalhaven, and Isle au Haut get no aliases at all.
Cooney dedicates the book "To my twin," (decidedly non-identical, as a brother) and a healthy portion of this book deals with identical twins separated at birth who unexpectedly meet up. You can guess where this leads. While twinly mix-ups go back centuries in literature, it's worth noting that this book was published seven years before Erich Kastner wrote what is known around here as The Parent Trap. After much ado, Cooney resolves things in a culmination worthy of a Shakespeare comedy.
Unforunately, Cooney's other two novels are rarer than hens' teeth. Each is only in about 15 libraries in WorldCat and a third of those are outside the U.S.
May 12, 2021
Penny and Pamela Kellyhorn each know they have a twin somewhere. Separated at birth and never given any clear information about each other, they both hope to meet some day.
This desire comes true at the county fair. The only clue to who is who is one girl has a light sprinkle of freckles. They have been living a short distance from each other, but the adults raising them chose not to have anything to do with each other due to the history of their past relationship.
Pamela is being raised by her unmarried Aunt Ivory. Her life is one of behaving, behaving like a lady, wearing dresses and doing what is proper. This is all taught to her in love by Aunt Ivory.
Penny is being raised by the girls’ father, Barnabas Kellyhorn. He is also raising their cousin, Barney, as Barney’s parents travel for their work. They live on an island where a lighthouse stands. Penny wears pants and is a bit of a tomboy. She has more freedom than Pam and a bit more carefree life.
The girls find out a little of the history of their separation and plan to bring the aunt and father together. Part of the plan involves swapping places. That way they will both know more about the people raising them and to help on getting their plan to work.
The time and place is the late 1940s in a rural setting. Things are a bit more simpler, but even still there arises a bit of scandal and conflict among the characters.
An enjoyable read and escape to a different time.
This desire comes true at the county fair. The only clue to who is who is one girl has a light sprinkle of freckles. They have been living a short distance from each other, but the adults raising them chose not to have anything to do with each other due to the history of their past relationship.
Pamela is being raised by her unmarried Aunt Ivory. Her life is one of behaving, behaving like a lady, wearing dresses and doing what is proper. This is all taught to her in love by Aunt Ivory.
Penny is being raised by the girls’ father, Barnabas Kellyhorn. He is also raising their cousin, Barney, as Barney’s parents travel for their work. They live on an island where a lighthouse stands. Penny wears pants and is a bit of a tomboy. She has more freedom than Pam and a bit more carefree life.
The girls find out a little of the history of their separation and plan to bring the aunt and father together. Part of the plan involves swapping places. That way they will both know more about the people raising them and to help on getting their plan to work.
The time and place is the late 1940s in a rural setting. Things are a bit more simpler, but even still there arises a bit of scandal and conflict among the characters.
An enjoyable read and escape to a different time.
November 3, 2021
When Pam and Penny meet for the first time at the fair, they know something is up--they are identical twins! The rest of the book unravels their mysterious life histories. There's some adventure along the way, too. Quite a fun book.
February 3, 2020
A quick read with more depth than I expected. Very exciting. A wonderful adventure. I'm glad I found it. Now I'm looking for more by this author!
July 14, 2020
Very slow but cute by the end!
January 8, 2025
Kind of bizarre. I'm sticking with her picture books!
October 3, 2025
Crawford 3 ⭐️
Lawson 3.5 ⭐️
Eve 4.5 ⭐️
Lawson 3.5 ⭐️
Eve 4.5 ⭐️
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews