Welcome to Camden Falls

"Welcome to Camden Falls" is the first in a series of books called Main Street (Book Series) by children's author Ann M. Martin. It was published in May 2007.

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The story centers on two sisters, Flora Marie, eleven and Ruby Jane Northrop, nine. The girls move to Camden Falls, Massachusetts following the death of their parents in a car crash to live with their maternal grandmother, Mindy 'Min' Read.The two girls have very different personalities and interests. Flora appreciates sewing and is quiet and introspective. She finds the adjustment to life without her parents harder in ways than Ruby, who as an outgoing, confident child prefers to dance and sing. They live in one of eight attached row houses, and Min runs the local needlework store, 'Needle and Thread'.

The first book sees the girls settle in and get to know their new neighbours. The plot is mostly character based and sees the personal growth within each one.It particularly focuses on the creation of a firm friendship between the sisters and two other girls, both in the same school grade as Flora. Olivia Walter, age 10 (she skipped a grade) is the granddaughter of Gina 'Gigi' Walter, who runs the store with Min. Nicolette 'Nikki' Sherman is at first resistant to friendship with the girls, due to interfering comments made by Olivia previously and bullying she has been exposed to at Camden Schools Elementary, she is forced to spend time with them by Mrs DuVane, a well off lady who attended high school with Nikki's mother, and has taken on her and her siblings as a personal charity case.

Other Characters

"The Morris Family"- A large family with four children, Lacey and Mathias (twins) age eight, Travis, age six and Alyssa age four.

"Mr and Mrs Fong"- A Chinese couple who learn that they are expecting a baby near the end of the book.

"Mr and Mrs Willet"- An old married couple. Mr Willet tries to deal with his wife's increasingly senile behavior.

"Mr Pennington"- A retired principal. The book sees him become more forgetful, hinting, like Mrs Willet, at Alzheimer's.

"The Walters"- Mr. Walter loses his job, and Olivia gets a job in Needle and Thread in order to earn her own pocket money. They have three children- Olivia, Jack and Henry.

"The Edwards"- Mr and Mrs Edwards have a son, Robby, with Downs Syndrome. He is kind to Ruby and Flora and reacts badly when teased by Lydia Malone and her friend.

"The Malones"- Dr. Malone, a dentist lives with his two daughters, Margaret and Lydia. Their mother died of a brain hemorrhage years before. Lydia, aged fourteen is in with the wrong crowd. When Nikki is accused of stealing a necklace from 'Stuff and Nonsense', a discount store, by its owner, a stern lady called Mr Grindle, Lydia does not confess to having taken the jewelry. After Ruby sees her steal an expensive compact from the local make-up store, 'Bubble Gum', Min and Gigi talk to her father, who makes her repay the store owners for all the things she has taken by saving the money she earns from her new job baby-sitting Robby. Lydia avoids her friends for the rest of the summer, and realizes how much she enjoys Robby's company.

"The Shermans"- Nikki lives with her parents who are described as alcoholics, especially her father who is particularly difficult and occasionally violent when drunk. She has an older brother, Tobias, age sixteen, and younger sister, Mae, age six. Their home is described as small and rundown, although not without signs of care. Stray dogs roam near the Sherman house, angering her father who labels them as 'pests'. Nikki works at the nearby farm in order to save up money to secretly buy bags of dog kibble so that she can feed them. One dog, named 'Paw-paw', Nikki and Mae's favorite returns on a regular basis. Their home is too far from town for Nikki to walk there. Near the end of the book, Tobias fixes a bike he found at the dump for her so she can visit Camden Falls when she likes.

"Mary Woolsey"- Mary works at 'Needle and Thread' doing the mending. There are wild rumours about her circulating amongst the children of Camden Falls- one in particular being that she keeps a small child in her basement. Flora and Ruby are afraid of her. Flora finds a box in the attic with her mothers old photographs and diaries in. She finds one photo of her mother wearing a necklace identical to that of Miss Woolsey's.

ee also

Other books in the 'Main Street' series:

Needle and Thread, 'Tis the Season, Best Friends, The Secret Book Club,and September Surprises

External links

* [http://content.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?id=10795_type=Book_typeId=4617 "Welcome to Camden Falls"] at Scholastic.com