Knock About with the Fitzgerald-Trouts

When last we checked in with the Fitzgerald-Trouts (Look Out for the Fitzgerald-Trouts, rev. 7/16), a family of five kids--two older, two younger, and a baby--who live on a tropical island and manage perfectly well without their terrible parents, they had solved their biggest problem and found a house of their own. But now they are back living in their car, and things are a little tense between the siblings. There is no letup to the action that punctuates their revived quest for accommodation, this time focusing on a boat. The story begins with an earthquake (which they call a "knockabout"), an ax-wielding "alien" (she might be a scientist or perhaps a goddess), and a flood and ends with a volcanic eruption. The animated-cartoon quality of the narrative goes hand in hand with the depiction of a child-run family with shared jokes, snacks instead of meals, nonstop play, conflict resolution via smart retorts, and the satisfaction of working together to outwit the adult villains, chief of whom is not only a thief, a cheat, and a bad father but also a climate change denier. It's goofy, sweet, and buoyant with good will--Pippi Longstocking for our more hyperactive times. sarah ellis