The Vacation

I listened to this book on audio two times and I'm on my third -- only have had the audiobook for a few weeks too. I just love this book that much. The characters are all so unique and the aunts are both hilarious. I even have both my older sisters listening to it with me -- and they both were laughing and really seeming to enjoy it as well!

Ms. Horvath's quirky imagination and precise prose continues to delight me. Through an impulsive and aimless journey across the United States, a boy almost improbably comes to terms with the balance between keeping peace and allowing others their right to free will. The scenes with the sisters'dad as well as the baseball game are profound and will stay with me a long time. Slightly less outlandish with humor than past adventures, The Vacation still is a great frolic by a writer I revere. Ms. Horvath's teeny foible was to have the family first visit Mt Rushmore before Devil's Tower coming up from Colorado. Ha!

Polly Horvath's Vacation comes from a Newberry Honor-winning author and presents another story of a family divided. Here Henry's parents are off to Africa, leaving him in care of two aunts who decide to embark on their own dream vacation with Henry in tow. Before long they're crossing the country just as Henry's mother is lost in the jungles of Africa. An intriguing story of family connections from afar.

I just finished reading Polly Horvath's hilarious, quirky and artful The Vacation. Though I'm many decades past qualifying as a "child," this children's book is for everyone at every age. Twelve year-old Henry suffers that most ignominious of all fates: having to travel with his two maiden aunts while his father follows his pixilated mother to what she sees as her destiny--a mission field in Africa. As Henry and his temperamental,unpredictable aunts learn to tolerate each other, they give their readers side splittingly funny moments and intensely poignant ones. Aside from enormous batches of writing talent, what I most appreciate in all Horvath's books is her ability to write to and about children without talking down to them. The words are big and wonderful, the young protagonist's comments are insightful and ironic. And though there may be very very deep, very very hidden messages, I believe that the author's first priority is to tell a great story to the kids she understands better than any writer I know. By the time that Henry's wildly unstable parents are reintroduced, he has traveled through a great deal of the country picking up along the way a bucket of lifeskills that just may help him stay sane in the neurotic mess that is the family he can't help loving. Henry has seen a big country and a slice of life from the back seat, learning that family relationships can make for a very bumpy ride. There are no "aha" moments and there is no neat tying everything together. Instead, Horvath gives us a great deal of fun as she cleverly signals that life can be messy and sometimes you just go along for the ride.

Polly Horvath's up to her old tricks again - writing clever, concise laugh out loud funny prose. "The Vacation" introduces Henry. Now, Henry ought to be used to rather outre adults because his father, who works for the Fillmore Brush Company, vows his deep affection for his son, urges him to keep safe and then orders him not to die. His mother, on the other hand, has found a mission. Although she's not in the least religious, she's decided to become a missionary in Africa. Father would much rather stay on the road for the brush company but off they go leaving Henry in the care of Aunt Magnolia and Aunt Pigg. While Henry's parents are a bit unique, his aunts are bizarre. Upon their arrival Henry moves into his closet to get as far from them as he can. But, he is to be closer to them than he has ever dreamed. For this eccentric pair decide it's time to take a trip, although they're not quite sure about a destination. Aunt Magnolia (who is recovering from a recent illness) wants to go to the beach, so the trio drive off to Virginia Beach. The lure of sand and sun soon wear thin so Aunt Magnolia decides she wants to see some blue grass in Kentucky. They take to the road again. After they view the blue grass from their car door, Aunt Pigg decides she wants to see the Everglades. Well, you get the picture. "The Vacation" is a witty, surprising travelogue as the trio motor across the country and poor Henry becomes lost in a Florida swamp. It should be mentioned that he's not the only one missing - his mother has disappeared in an African jungle. Newbery Honor author Polly Horvath has a fertile imagination and non-stop humor that's sure to appeal to younger readers. - Gail Cooke