The Moon by Night
As if simply being fourteen-years-old weren’t bad enough—what with the usual teenage angst and uncertainty, Vicky Austin’s always comforting and reliable home life is changing completely. Her brother John is going off to college in the fall. Maggy, an orphan taken in by the Austins two years ago, has gone to live with her legal guardian. And the rest of Vicky’s family is moving from their quiet house in the country to the heart of New York City.
But before the big move, the entire Austin family is taking a meandering trip across the country in their station wagon, stopping to camp along the way, with no set schedule and not a single night of camping experience among them.
Wild animal attacks. Life-threatening natural disasters. Cute boys on the prowl. Anything can happen in the great outdoors.
Originally published in 1963
Genre: Middle grade
Realistic fiction
Other Books in the Series
Reviews
“Idealistic and wise, this is also absorbing reading and very much a story of today.”
―The Horn Book Magazine
“Everyone who remembers Meet the Austins as a delightful family story will want to read its successor. . . . Vicky, groping painfully for answers, finding help from many sources, will strike chords of sympathy and understanding in her contemporaries, who are certain to find comfort and satisfaction in this wise, beautifully written novel.”
―Chicago Tribune
“With natural dialogue and good characterization, this story of an intelligent, lifelike family is far superior to the average fare for the early teens.”
―Booklist
Articles
“Meeting the Austins Again”
Sara Zarr, 2013 / LA Review of Books
“The Moon By Night: Travels with Vicky”
Lizzie Skurnick, 2008 / Jezebel
“Growing Up, or Not: The Moon by Night”
Mari Ness, 2011 / TOR