The Vacation by Polly Horvath 

Henry’s parents are embarking on a pretend “missionary” trip to Africa, leaving him hopeless with his two vicious aunts. Aunt Pigg and Aunt Magnolia are women blessed with highly unfortunate names, but that doesn’t stop them from completely changing Henry’s life. Aunt Magnolia becomes deathly ill, and her sudden illness causes her to think about herself, as she lays on the couch nearly dying. She turns forty and starts to crave a life-changing experience. Struck by a rather early mid-life crisis, she decides that Henry, Pigg, and herself will leave, effective immediately, on a spur of the moment road trip without any particular agenda or mapping. This unexpected three-month excursion brings a hilarious amount of grumpy travel bickering, missed turns, and Henry even floats misguidedly down a Florida swamp, lurking with alligators and crocodiles! The author does an excellent job of capturing the beauty (and the inevitable pains) of road travel, while giving you a heart-warming giggle.

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