THE VACATION by Polly Horvath

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When Henry’s mother takes off to Africa to become a missionary, Henry’s father goes chasing after her, leaving Henry in the care of his two bickering aunts, Mag and Pigg. Henry decides his aunts dislike him and moves into the closet to avoid them. Mag, who is practically dying from a gruesome illness, decides that what they all need is a vacation. So they embark on an eccentric car trip to all the places they’ve never been. They go to Virginia Beach (too hot); the Everglades, where Henry spends four days lost in the swamp; an Oklahoma ranch, where Henry rides a horse; and a flying stop to meet Henry’s granddaddy for the first time. On the road Henry becomes a traveling companion rather than just a kid. The journey is as funny as it is touching, with Henry the only sane person in a family of decidedly odd adults.