These 2 companion books by Canadian writer, Polly Horvath, tell the story of 12 year-old Jane and her strange family (everyone is a bit strange in Polly Horvath books if you ask me!). In the first book we meet Jane and her family: her (poet) mother, younger sister, Maya, and younger twin brothers. They are living in a modest beach cottage on Cape Cod. Jane feels compelled to help Nellie, the local preacher, deliver bibles. Nellie, who has the magic “touch” to heal people, drags Jane along on her long drives to dispense bibles. They meet up with a group of hot-air-ballooners and Jane accidentally takes off in one. As she drops bibles down out of the basket she learns that she accidentally dropped one on Willie Mae Gourd, the baby of a neighbor. The nasty mother takes advantage of Jane and compels her to babysit for free for Willie Mae and her brood for the entire summer while she gets a waitressing job.
The story meanders and Jane meets several strange characters- all of whom she wonders if could possibly be her father or the father of her siblings. At the end of “My One Hundred Adventures”, Jane’s mother abruptly marries one of these men and the family heads off to Canada where the new husband has a job waiting.
In book 2, “Northward to the Moon”, the family is now in Canada and the husband has lost his job and they begin a car trip back south on a crazy adventure. Horvath’s characters are drawn just enough to be interesting, but not enough to quite understand their motivations. Jane’s mother seems at times to be irresponsible and other times, the ultimate mother earth. Enjoyable reads for those who like meeting odd characters.