Book Report One

I read The House on the Gulf by Margaret Peterson Haddix. It’s about this boy, Brandon (a.k.a. Bran), who lives on Florida. He lives with his mom and sister, Brittany (a.k.a. Brit). They live in an awful part of town where no one leaves their doors unlocked. Brian gets a job mowing lawns for the Marquises. When the (elderly) couple decides to go north for the summer, they offer Bran a job house-sitting. Brian and his family get to move into the couple’s house for the summer, and Brian gets paid for mowing and keeping the house from getting robbed.
When Brit meets Mr. Marquis she realizes that Brian is acting weird. He makes Brit go wait in the front yard while he talks to Mr. Marquis about the details for the summer. Bran’s mom is thrilled that Bran got this opportunity, because then she can finally get the credits she needs to be a doctor. She had been trying to get her degree for over thirteen years, but only had enough credits to be a sophomore.
After they move into the Marquises’, Bran immediately starts taking any “breakables” including pictures, porcelain cats, PLASTIC dishes, quilts, and silverware. Bran also refuses to let them touch the thermostat. Brit thinks that something’s wrong, but she doesn’t know what. Whenever she complains, her mom shushes her and tells her to be grateful for the opportunity that Bran provided.