The Corps of the Bare-Boned Plane

   In the book The Corps oh the Bare-Boned Plane by Polly Horvath, the two main characters Meline and Jocelyn are sent to live with their uncle on a remote island after both their parents have died in a train accident. The two girls are cousins and have been raised very differently. Jocelyn is very polite and Meline is outgoing and sometimes rude. The uncle is not responsible at all and he is used to having no one in his house. Since he decides he cannot take good care of the girls he hires a cook/maid, Mrs.Mendelbaum. Mrs.Mendelbaum later decides she has too much work to do and wants to hire a butler as well. Now there are five people in his house and it's complete chaos. So my question is, who has power?
   I think that there is no particular person with power in the book. The uncle who owns the mansion is always in his room refusing to make contact with anyone else. He rarely ever even knows what is going on. So I think that even though he should be the one with power, he has no power at all. Jocelyn and Meline don't have any power either because they are just teenagers and have basically no say of what goes on. Mrs.Mendelbaum may have some power since most people in the house are afraid of her. But now, everyone in the houshold is used to her and don't follow her direction either. The butler may be the most powerful in the text. Even though he dosn't say much to anyone, that is what makes him powerful. He stays mysterious and slightly scary so people always listen to him when he does attempt to talk. So I think that makes him the most powerful.
   In conclusion, there is no one in the book with extreme power. But I think that makes the book more interesting. Without the chaos always happening in the house there would'nt be much of a plot. I think this was really well thought out by the authur and the book keeps you on the edge of your seat.