Stand in the Wind

by Jean Little

At a beach cottage, two sets of sisters who have never met before must spend a few days together without their parents. It looks as if it's going to be the longest holiday ever, until Martha discovers something about Christine that changes everything.
 

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Canada, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Summer

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Jean Little is a Canadian author, born in Taiwan. Her work has mainly consisted of children's literature, but she has also written two autobiographies: Little by Little and Stars Come Out Within. Little has been partially blind since birth as a result of scars on her cornea and is frequently accompanied by a guide dog.

Reviews

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books as a young girl. An event from the book became a sort of mantra for me..."Stand in the wind and eat peanut brittle." It is a story of relationships and strength. Learning to stand against the elements as a metaphor for facing and standing up to whatever in life you might struggle against.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may have been my favorite book ever from childhood. I have never forgotten about standing in the wind and eating peanut brittle. I get choked up just thinking about it.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm glad to add this Jean Little book to my collection. It was beautifully written.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book meant everything to me growing up. we all need to stand in the wind and eat peanut brittle and maybe we would calm down

[Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was really good but there were some parts that were not my favorite this is what I think of it.

so i'll tell you a little bit about it, so there were two sets of twins staying at the cottage for a week all by their selves. And the two sets of twins they did not really know each other. Ellen's sister Martha thought of this idea for the twins to come over to their cottage, but the day before she broke her arm, and she also forgot she was going to camp with her best friend she has been going to camp for the past few years.

[Marlies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always remember your inner Martha. Stand in the wind and eat peanut brittle!!!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read it as a child, it was amazing and heartrending. Still a top-notch book after 30 years. How a friend of one week can change your life.

[Christine Goodnough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Martha, the protagonist of the story, wanted so badly to go to summer camp and be with her friends. However, impulsive as she is, a mad dash followed by a sudden slip and bone-cracking fall, puts an end to her plan. The camp won't accept her with a newly broken arm.

Then Martha and her older sister Ellen, have their plans seriously changed. Now they're stuck for several days at the family cottage entertaining two other girls their ages. These two girls, also sisters, were daughters of their mom's best friend. Snooty Rosemary, the elder and mousy baby sister Christine --- or Kit, as her Dad calls her --- couldn't be more different from each other, or from Ellen and Martha.

The first day together is a total flop as the four of them realize their differences are too great to ever be friends. So now what? they decide to stick it out for three days. "Just until Wednesday," they remind themselves. There are fireworks at times but little by little they loosen up and let their hair down. This book details their adventures and disasters as they cope with each other and with the circumstance of being without parental supervision.

Jean Little has Penned a number of winning children's books and this is one of them. Well written, well told, very believable, and a satisfying conclusion.

[SM Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book last when I was ten or so, so this brought back a lot of memories: first, as a reader, remembering reading it when I was a kid and would carry a pile of books as high as me from the library every week; and second, as a child of the 70s, summers at an Ontario cottage, with nothing to do but read, play games, swim, and so forth (I wasn't as enthusiastic about camping as Martha was in the book!). I had forgotten how a change of plans could be as tragic as the end of the world for a child, and how kids can be petty and rude and funny and amazing, all at once. The lesson of 'stand in the wind and eat peanut brittle' is a great anthem of resilience.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I stand in the wind and eat peanut brittle"

I love that quote, I use it all the time, even though I never stand in the wind, or eat peanut brittle

I remember reading this book in Grade 4, and I LOVED IT!!!! I read it over and over again

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Jean Little and this book was no exception

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Jean Little for so many wonderful reads.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my childhood favourites. A real summer classic.

[Emma :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my childhood favourites, did not disappoint re-reading after many years

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend on Litsy mentioned about this book a few weeks back, reminding me of a childhood favorite—so I pulled it off the shelf and thoroughly enjoyed a re-read. I LOVED Jean Little’s books as a kid. I found her characters so relatable. This one is told from the perspective of Martha, whose personality is far more brave &man’s bold than mine! But I still love this book and these characters so much. Martha’s broken arm prevents her from going to a much-anticipated week at summer camp, so she and her sister beg to stay by themselves with out-of-town guests—sisters Rosemary and Kit—at her family’s cottage at the coast, not far from where their families are staying at the “house in town.” Differences between the girls soon dash Martha’s hopes of an idyllic “summer camp” of her own, but the story explores how all four very different girls learn from each other and bond through their time together.

[Lorraine Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stand in the Wind by Jean Little is a great book for summer reading, especially to take to camp or the cottage, as it is about two pairs of sisters who are thrown together at a summer cottage and have to fend for themselves without their parents.

Martha wasn't supposed to be home when Christine and Rosemary Swann came to visit — she was supposed to be on her way to camp with her best friend. But a freak accident in her own kitchen caused the plan to change, and she finds herself with her older sister, Ellen, and two strangers, one of whom is cold as ice and the other, as timid as a mouse. How will they ever get through the next eight days!

Jean Little writes with wonderful insight into the lives of these four adolescent girls as they discover new strengths and hidden depths within themselves and each other, finding understanding of their fears, and the ability to stand up for themselves — to stand in the wind and eat peanut brittle!

If you've ever been to camp, or wanted to, you'll enjoy the activities and antics the girls get up to, even on stormy days, or when the lake is freezing cold. One of the fun things is the books the girls find to read that either bring back your own memories of those books or make you want to look them up because you've never read them and they sound great. Four girls who would all rather be somewhere else, surprise themselves by becoming fast friends and having the best time ever at Camp Better-Than-Nothing.

[Mackenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good book to read over the break and I loved it. This was an amazingly detailed short and fun read. In this book there are two sisters named Martha and Ellen. Martha is excited to go to camp but ends up not going because she... Then the Swann sisters come to visit their cottage and they... You will have to read it to find out the rest. Anyways if you want to read a fun, pleasure book over the weekend this is the book to read. This book is so good. I would recommend it to anyone who likes humorous books with a bit of a twist.

[Sara]

okay

[Sarahled21 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didnt like this that much, too boring.

[Shelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book #42 for 2011 - This was a cute young adult book about two sets of sisters who spend a week together at a beach house. They learned to get along and love each other. :)

[Lizzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my favourite books out there!

[Kiley · Rating 2 out of 5]

pretty good

[Cait · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Stand in the wind, and eat peanut brittle."

[Hajir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thumbs up!


Standing in the wind is so much fun though!!!

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite Jean Little books. Love this one.

[Liv Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all time favourite books! Just finished re reading it as an adult and I was not at all disappointed. This is still a timeless book with a clear lesson: friendship.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

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