Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #830408 in Books
• Published on: 2005-08-09
• Released on: 2005-07-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 208 pages

From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 6-9–Horvath spins another delightfully offbeat yarn, complete with her signature cast of eccentric characters, wacky situations, poignant moments, and snappy dialogue. Twelve-year-old Henry's mother decides on a whim to be a missionary in Africa and drags his father along, leaving Henry in the care of his aunts, Magnolia and Pigg, for several months. Mag, turning 40 and recovering from an obscure disease, decides that they need a vacation. They embark on a destination-less car trip that feels more like a kidnapping to the boy. The aunts bicker and are nasty. Virginia Beach is too hot. In the Everglades, Henry accidentally spends four days floating in a swamp with an autistic boy. Pigg falls in love with a cowboy in Oklahoma and stays there. During the trip, they receive word that Henry's mother followed a chimp into the bush and got lost. She's finally found, but Henry's father contracts malaria. Eventually, word comes that the parents will meet Mag and Henry in Tulsa to finish the trip. Unfortunately, Henry's parents are either fighting or not speaking. Although at first he works hard to get them to see one another as he sees them, he finally realizes that he is not responsible for their happiness or their problems. Horvath again introduces a young person who is parentless for some reason and who is put in the care of distant, idiosyncratic relatives who change the child's perception of life. This latest book, like its predecessors, bounces from the hilarious to the heartrending. Another hit for Horvath.–Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Gr. 5-7. It can't be coincidence that Horvath uses the same framework for all her stories: an abandoned child finds him- or herself in the care of offbeat adults, usually relatives. Here, the child is Henry, whose parents have gone to Africa, leaving him with child-averse aunts, Magg and Pigg. After Magg recovers from an illness that causes her to bruise and bleed ("She reminded me of a banana that's been kept too long. I expected fruit flies to begin gathering in her hair"), the trio go on vacation. They crisscross the country, fighting about where to go and disliking the place once they get there. If Horvath wants to show an endless car trip where people inside and outside the car (with a few exceptions) range from nasty to clueless, she succeeds. That's not to say that Horvath doesn't write well; she's her usual arch, amusing self. But when, at long, long last, Henry yells, "How did I end up with such unpleasant people?" readers may wonder the same thing. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

Customer Reviews

CONCISE PROSE AND LAUGH PROVOKING THEME

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

An intriguing story of family connections from afar
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.

Polly Horvath is awesome
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!