People being evicted by the hero / heroine's family is a really extreme thing to find in a children's book. Forest must have known how shocking this would be. She doesn't tell her readers how to respond; we aren't told to take sides. I would like to know how her young readers reacted to it. I suspect that those coming from rural areas would know all about tied housing.

Another point is that in the novel we are not told what other people think about this. What would Mrs Bertie or Shep make of an old friend and work mate being asked to leave in these circumstances?

(Paula)