The Vacation by Polly Horvath

Horvath, Polly. The Vacation. New York: FSG, 2005.

When Henry's mom unexpectedly decides to become a missionary, his parents travel to Africa leaving him in the care of his aunts Magnolia and Pigg. The aunts don't like children so they spend a large part of their time ignoring Henry. This is fine with him. He endures their stay from the comfort of his closet until the aunts decide to redecorate the house. Even his closet isn't safe from their design schemes. After Magnolia's illness, the three set off on a vacation.And what a vacation it is. With no destination in mind, they simply go where they want when they want. In the meantime, Henry's mom gets lost in Africa ans his dad contracts malaria. To say the very least, it is an eventful summer.

What I Thought: Horvath does not disappoint. I expected to be amused and I was. I liked this book because it was from Henry's point-of-view. All Horvath's other books either revolve around a female protagonist or a family. The Vacation was a pleasant change. I was also glad to see whatever the aunts' faults, they did keep Henry in books.