Meet The Austins

A browse in City Basement Books in the city yielded a handful of prizes, including a couple of Madeleine L'Engle books. I wasn't sure whether I'd already read Meet the Austins, until I came to the very last chapter and remembered the grandfather who lived in a stable by the sea, with the stalls lined with books -- that stayed with me! Lucky Grandfather.

L'Engle's books often contain some kind of paranormal or other-worldly aspect, but Meet the Austins is firmly set in the everyday world. The Austins are a big, loving, slightly chaotic family which is stretched when they are joined by ten year old Maggy, suddenly orphaned when her pilot father is killed. Maggy is quite difficult to handle, not surprisingly. Twelve year old Vicky is our narrator, and she leads us through various episodes: Maggy's confronting behaviour, Vicky's own poor judgment which leads to a serious injury, a visit from a mysterious woman who is not who she seems to be, and finally the visit to Grandfather, where little brother Rob goes missing. It's all very wholesome and the family are mostly thoughtful and considerate, though they do make mistakes. 

Meet the Austins was published in 1960 and it is an old-fashioned book in some ways, though the Austins are a wonderful model for gentle parenting (mostly -- there is some spanking). A lovely comfort read, with enough philosophical questioning to keep it from being too complacent.