SOLVED. YA/ Childrens fiction about a boy who goes to live with a renowned family of artist/ writers. [s]

[[deleted user]]

I remember reading but never finishing it in elementary school (2013-2015) but I feel like it was a bit older than that. I also think the last name of the family started with a T.

Details I remember

-The setting was a country side.

- Each member of the family had their own niche/project going on

-Someone at the beginning of the story saying something along the lines of "Ive read all about you guys but I never put it together that you all were related"

-A female family member being upset at a male family for eating her grapefruits at night, which she was saving to eat for breakfast in the morning. Said male family member was a bizarre artist with weird behaviors, specifically only being awake at night and not talking much.

-A kid rolling his own cigarettes that he learned from his grandpa in a tobacco field.

Ive thought about this book for forever but haven't try looking for it with so little information. Thanks to all.

[Ann]

Surviving the Applewhites is a possibility. The family last name doesn't start with T, but the author's last name (Tolan) does!

The artists are all "quirky" and each has their own niche: furniture making (practical), furniture making (avant garde and nonfunctional), theater director, dancer, graphic artist, etc. The "I never realized you were all the same family" definitely happens when a reporter shows up to do a story on one family member and ends up doing it about their whole family. It's set in the countryside(ish) and a rampaging goat is a plot point, as is roaming around fields looking for a specific butterfly. I don't remember the exact rolling of the cigarettes, but the rebellious foster child Jake might do something like that as part of his tough guy act.

edited to add that I just got up and looked at our copy, and the scene where the older sister Cordelia complains that her teen brother who is mostly nocturnal ate her cantaloupe and she's angry because her mouth was all ready for cantaloupe happens towards the beginning.) Also, there are lots of different covers, so if you don't recognize the cover, look at some other editions.

[[deleted user]]

Ann wrote: "Surviving the Applewhites is a possibility. The family last name doesn't start with T, but the author's last name (Tolan) does!

The artists are all "quirky" and each has their own ni..."

You are a saint. This is totally it. For some reason "apple" kept coming to mind but I didn't know how it fit in to my ask. The cover I read from was the illustration of Jake with spiked hair sitting on a porch with a girl next to him. I can't wait to reread it. Thank you so much <3

[Kris]

Glad you found your book, K.

"Applewhites" series by Stephanie S. Tolan - https://www.goodreads.com/series/7722... - Ann's find.