The Not-Just-Anybody Family

Betsy Byars has created another typical, ordinary, outrageous, atypical family! No father (dead), no mother (rides with a travelling rodeo); just three kids, grandpa and a dog. Typical, ordinary? Well-the children all emerge as children. They respond in extraordinary ways to unusual circumstances but even dare-devil Vern needs his mum. Outrageous, atypical? Because of their unusual circumstances they have developed particular survival techniques. So when the police arrive as Junior is about to fly off the barn roof Vern and Maggie take to the woods. All would have been well but .... 'Junior felt himself begin to slide. Within the first 20 pages Junior has two broken legs, the dog gets lost, Maggie and Vern are on the run and Grandpa is in jail. An enjoyable addition to any self-respecting reader's Byars collection. New enthusiasts will be glad to know that there are other stories of this family.