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Books in Austin Family series

  • Meet the Austins: Book One of The Austin Family Chronicles

    Madeleine L'Engle

    Paperback (Square Fish, Sept. 2, 2008)
    Book one of the Austin Family Chronicles, an award-winning young adult series from Madeleine L’Engle, author of A Wrinkle in Time, about a girl who experiences the difficulties and joys of growing up.“Beautifully written, with integrity and warmth, and young people are bound to identify with the characters, each a person in his own right, and to read absorbed from first page to last. Thoroughly recommended.” ―Chicago TribuneFor a family with four kids, two dogs, assorted cats, and a constant stream of family and friends dropping by, life in the Austin family home has always been remarkably steady and contented. When a family friend suddenly dies in a plane crash, the Austins open their home to an orphaned girl, Maggy Hamilton. The Austin children―Vicky, John, Suzy, and Rob―do their best to be generous and welcoming to Maggy.Vicky knows she should feel sorry for Maggy, but having sympathy for Maggy is no easy thing. Maggy is moody and spoiled; she breaks toys, wakes people in the middle of the night screaming, discourages homework, and generally causes chaos in the Austin household. How can one small child disrupt a family of six? Will life ever return to normal?Praise for Meet the Austins:“A family story that simply doesn't date, characters ring as true now as I'm sure they ever did.” ―Charlotte Jones Voiklis, Granddaughter of Madeleine L'Engle“Yes, by all means ‘meet the Austins,' for a nicer family would be hard to find. The book is beautifully written, with integrity and warmth, and young people are bound to identify with the characters, each a person in his own right, and to read absorbed from first page to last. Thoroughly recommended.” ―Chicago Tribune“An unusual book. . . . There are intimate details of home life that everyone will recognize with pleasure; there is great warmth in the family relationship, and it is movingly communicated.” ―The New York Times“Told with warmth and humor, this is a perceptive, forthright story of a loving and likeable family.” ―Booklist“Her books . . . tend to be about the intersection of some fantastic unearthly world and the ordinary world in which we live.” ―Daniel Handler (a.k.a. Lemony Snicket)“. . . [an] ode to faith and family . . .” ―Quin Hillyer, American SpectatorBooks by Madeleine L'EngleA Wrinkle in Time QuintetA Wrinkle in TimeA Wind in the DoorA Swiftly Tilting PlanetMany WatersAn Acceptable TimeA Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel by Madeleine L'Engle; adapted & illustrated by Hope LarsonIntergalactic P.S. 3 by Madeleine L'Engle; illustrated by Hope Larson: A standalone story set in the world of A Wrinkle in Time.The Austin Family ChroniclesMeet the Austins (Volume 1) The Moon by Night (Volume 2) The Young Unicorns (Volume 3)A Ring of Endless Light (Volume 4) A Newbery Honor book!Troubling a Star (Volume 5)The Polly O'Keefe booksThe Arm of the StarfishDragons in the WatersA House Like a LotusAnd Both Were YoungCamillaThe Joys of Love
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  • The Twenty-four Days Before Christmas: An Austin Family Story

    Madeleine L'Engle, Jill Weber

    Hardcover (Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), Sept. 28, 2010)
    Vicky Austin's family does one special thing each day of December to prepare for Christmas. This year, they're also preparing for the birth of a new brother or sister, due after the New Year. Vicky is worried that the baby will come early―what kind of Christmas Eve would it be without Mother to help them hang up stockings and sing everyone to sleep with carols? This classic story of an old-fashioned Christmas is accompanied by merry illustrations by Jill Weber.
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  • A Ring of Endless Light: The Austin Family Chronicles, Book 4

    Madeleine L'Engle

    Paperback (Square Fish, Sept. 2, 2008)
    Book four of the Austin Family Chronicles, an award-winning young adult series from Madeleine L’Engle, author of A Wrinkle in Time, about a girl who experiences the difficulties and joys of growing up.A Newbery Honor Book“L'Engle has the magic storytelling gift that makes it a pleasure to lose yourself in her spell.” ―NewsweekAfter a tumultuous year in New York City, the Austins are spending the summer on the small island where their grandfather lives. He's very sick, and watching his condition deteriorate as the summer passes is almost more than Vicky can bear. To complicate matters, she finds herself as the center of attention for three very different boys.Zachary Grey, the troubled and reckless boy Vicky met last summer, wants her all to himself as he grieves the loss of his mother. Leo Rodney has been just a friend for years, but the tragic loss of his father causes him to turn to Vicky for comfort―and romance. And then there's Adam Eddington. Adam is only asking Vicky to help with his research on dolphins. But Adam―and the dolphins―may just be what Vicky needs to get through this heartbreaking summer.Praise for A Ring of Endless Light:“With customary grace and firm control of an intricate plot, L'Engle has created another irresistible novel about familiar characters, the Austin family. Vicky, 16, narrates the climactic events with Grandfather Eaton on a New England island, where he is living his last days.” ―Publishers Weekly“L'Engle has the magic storytelling gift that makes it a pleasure to lose yourself in her spell.” ―Newsweek“L'Engle writes eloquently about death and life with provocative passages that linger in the thoughts of the perceptive.” ―Booklist, starred reviewBooks by Madeleine L'EngleA Wrinkle in Time QuintetA Wrinkle in TimeA Wind in the DoorA Swiftly Tilting PlanetMany WatersAn Acceptable TimeA Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel by Madeleine L'Engle; adapted & illustrated by Hope LarsonIntergalactic P.S. 3 by Madeleine L'Engle; illustrated by Hope Larson: A standalone story set in the world of A Wrinkle in Time.The Austin Family ChroniclesMeet the Austins (Volume 1) The Moon by Night (Volume 2) The Young Unicorns (Volume 3)A Ring of Endless Light (Volume 4) A Newbery Honor book!Troubling a Star (Volume 5)The Polly O'Keefe booksThe Arm of the StarfishDragons in the WatersA House Like a LotusAnd Both Were YoungCamillaThe Joys of Love
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  • The Moon by Night: Book Two of The Austin Family Chronicles

    Madeleine L'Engle

    Paperback (Square Fish, Sept. 2, 2008)
    Book two of the Austin Family Chronicles, an award-winning young adult series from Madeleine L’Engle, author of A Wrinkle in Time, about a girl who experiences the difficulties and joys of growing up.“Everyone who remembers Meet the Austins as a delightful family story will want to read . . . this wise, beautifully written novel.” ―Chicago TribuneAs 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.Praise for The Moon by Night:“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“The Austin family spends the summer on a cross-country camping trip . . . Vicky, now ‘almost 15,' tells the story, and the reader feels a strong personal identification with the thoughts and emotions of this age group through her story.” ―School Library Journal“With natural dialogue and good characterization, this story of an intelligent, lifelike family is far superior to the average fare for the early teens.” ―BooklistBooks by Madeleine L'EngleA Wrinkle in Time QuintetA Wrinkle in TimeA Wind in the DoorA Swiftly Tilting PlanetMany WatersAn Acceptable TimeA Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel by Madeleine L'Engle; adapted & illustrated by Hope LarsonIntergalactic P.S. 3 by Madeleine L'Engle; illustrated by Hope Larson: A standalone story set in the world of A Wrinkle in Time.The Austin Family ChroniclesMeet the Austins (Volume 1) The Moon by Night (Volume 2) The Young Unicorns (Volume 3)A Ring of Endless Light (Volume 4) A Newbery Honor book!Troubling a Star (Volume 5)The Polly O'Keefe booksThe Arm of the StarfishDragons in the WatersA House Like a LotusAnd Both Were YoungCamillaThe Joys of Love
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  • The Young Unicorns: Book Three of The Austin Family Chronicles

    Madeleine L'Engle

    Paperback (Square Fish, Sept. 2, 2008)
    Book three of the Austin Family Chronicles, an award-winning young adult series from Madeleine L’Engle, author of A Wrinkle in Time, about a girl who experiences the difficulties and joys of growing up.“A first-rate suspense story.” ―The Washington Post Book WorldThe Austins are trying to settle into their new life in New York City, but their once close-knit family is pulling away from each other. Their father spends long hours alone in his study working on the research project that brought the family to the city. John is away at college. Rob is making friends with people in the neighborhood: newspaper vendors, dog walkers, even the local rabbi. Suzy is blossoming into a vivacious young woman. And Vicky has become closer to Emily Gregory, a blind and brilliant young musician, than to her sister Suzy.With the Austins going in different directions, they don't notice that something sinister is going on in their neighborhood―and it's centered around them. A mysterious genie appears before Rob and Emily. A stranger approaches Vicky in the park and calls her by name. Members of a local gang are following their father. The entire Austin family is in danger. If they don't start telling each other what's going on, someone just might get killed.Books by Madeleine L'EngleA Wrinkle in Time QuintetA Wrinkle in TimeA Wind in the DoorA Swiftly Tilting PlanetMany WatersAn Acceptable TimeA Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel by Madeleine L'Engle; adapted & illustrated by Hope LarsonIntergalactic P.S. 3 by Madeleine L'Engle; illustrated by Hope Larson: A standalone story set in the world of A Wrinkle in Time.The Austin Family ChroniclesMeet the Austins (Volume 1) The Moon by Night (Volume 2) The Young Unicorns (Volume 3)A Ring of Endless Light (Volume 4) A Newbery Honor book!Troubling a Star (Volume 5)The Polly O'Keefe booksThe Arm of the StarfishDragons in the WatersA House Like a LotusAnd Both Were YoungCamillaThe Joys of Love
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  • Troubling a Star: The Austin Family Chronicles, Book 5

    Madeleine L'Engle

    Paperback (Square Fish, Sept. 2, 2008)
    In book five of the award-winning Austin Family Chronicles young adult series from Madeleine L’Engle, author of A Wrinkle in Time, a girl experiences the difficulties and joys of growing up.The Austins have settled back into their beloved home in the country after more than a year away. Though they had all missed the predictability and security of life in Thornhill, Vicky Austin is discovering that slipping back into her old life isn't easy. She's been changed by life in New York City and her travels around the country while her old friends seem to have stayed the same. So Vicky finds herself spending time with a new friend, Serena Eddington―the great-aunt of a boy Vicky met over the summer.Aunt Serena gives Vicky an incredible birthday gift―a month-long trip to Antarctica. It's the opportunity of a lifetime. But Vicky is nervous. She's never been away from her family before. Once she sets off though, she finds that's the least of her worries. She receives threatening letters. She's surrounded by suspicious characters. Vicky no longer knows who to trust. And she may not make it home alive.Books by Madeleine L'EngleA Wrinkle in Time QuintetA Wrinkle in TimeA Wind in the DoorA Swiftly Tilting PlanetMany WatersAn Acceptable TimeA Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel by Madeleine L'Engle; adapted & illustrated by Hope LarsonIntergalactic P.S. 3 by Madeleine L'Engle; illustrated by Hope Larson: A standalone story set in the world of A Wrinkle in Time.The Austin Family ChroniclesMeet the Austins (Volume 1) The Moon by Night (Volume 2) The Young Unicorns (Volume 3)A Ring of Endless Light (Volume 4) A Newbery Honor book!Troubling a Star (Volume 5)The Polly O'Keefe booksThe Arm of the StarfishDragons in the WatersA House Like a LotusAnd Both Were YoungCamillaThe Joys of Love
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  • A Ring of Endless Light: The Austin Family Chronicles, Book 4

    Madeleine L'Engle

    Hardcover (Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), May 1, 1980)
    In this award-winning young adult series from Madeleine L’Engle, author of A Wrinkle in Time, Vicky Austin experiences the difficulties and joys of growing up."This wasn't the first tie that I'd come close to death, but it was the first time I'd been involved in this part of it, this strange, terrible saying goodbye to someone you've loved."These are Vicky Austin's thoughts as she stands near Commander Rodney's grave while her grandfather, who himself is dying of cancer, recites the funeral service. Watching his condition deteriorate over that long summer is almost more than she can bear. Then, in the midst of her struggle, she finds herself the center of attention for three young men. Leo, Commander Rodney's son, turns to her as an old friend seeki comfort but longing for romance. Zachary, whose attempted suicide inadvertently cauesd Commander Rodney's death, sees her as the one sane and normal person who can give some meaning ot his life. And Adam, a serious young student working at the nearby marine-biology station, discovers Vicky, his friend's little sister, incipient telepathic powers that can help him with his experiments in dolphin communications. Vicky finds solace and brief moments of peace in her poetry, but life goes on around her, and the strain intensifies as she confromts matters of love and of death, of dependence and of responsibility, universal concerns that we all must face. The inevitable crisis comes and Vicky must rely on openness, sensitivity, and the love of others to overcome her private grief. Once again, Madeleine L'Engle has written a story that reveals in the drama of vividly portrayed characters and events the spiritual and moral dimensions of common human experiences.A Ring of Endless Light is a 1981 Newbery Honor Book.The Austin Family ChroniclesMeet the Austins (Volume 1) The Moon by Night (Volume 2) The Young Unicorns (Volume 3)A Ring of Endless Light (Volume 4) A Newbery Honor book!Troubling a Star (Volume 5)
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  • A Ring of Endless Light

    Madeleine L'Engle

    Mass Market Paperback (Dell Laurel Leaf, July 15, 1981)
    Vicky Austin is filled with strong feelings as she stands near Commander Rodney's grave while her grandfather, who himself is dying of cancer, recites the funeral service. Watching his condition deteriorate as the summer passes on beautiful Seven Bay Island is almost more than Vicky can bear. To complicate things, she finds herself the center of attention for three very different boys: Leo is an old friend wanting comfort and longing for romance; Zachary, whose attempted suicide inadvertently caused the Commander's death, is attractive and sophisticated but desperately troubled; and Adam, her older brother's friend, offers her a wonderful chance to assist in his experiments with dophins but treats her as a young girl just when she's ready to feel most grown-up.Called upon to be dependable, stable, and wise, Vicky is exhilarated but often overwhemed. Forces of darkness and light, tragedy and joy, hover about her, and at times she doesn't know whcih will prevail.
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  • Meet the Austins

    Madeleine L'Engle

    Hardcover (Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), Oct. 30, 1997)
    A revised edition, including one section of the manuscript that was omitted in the original publication. Vicky Austin and her siblings must adjust to the presence of a new member of the household-Maggie Hamilton, who is orphaned when her father is killed in a plane crash. Maggie is at first petulant and spoiled, but gradually opens her heart to the Austins to become one of the family.
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  • A Ring of Endless Light

    Madeleine L'Engle

    Library Binding
    After a tumultuous year in New York City, the Austins are spending the summer on the small island where their grandfather lives. He€™s very sick, and watching his condition deteriorate as the summer passes is almost more than Vicky can bear. To complicate matters, she finds herself as the center of attention for three very different boys. Zachary Grey, the troubled and reckless boy Vicky met last summer, wants her all to himself as he grieves the loss of his mother. Leo Rodney has been just a friend for years, but the tragic loss of his father causes him to turn to Vicky for comfort€”and romance. And then there€™s Adam Eddington. Adam is only asking Vicky to help with his research on dolphins. But Adam€”and the dolphins€”may just be what Vicky needs to get through this heartbreaking summer.
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  • The Moon by Night

    Madeleine L'Engle

    Library Binding
    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.
  • The Young Unicorns: The Austin Family Chronicles, Book 3

    Madeleine L'Engle

    Library Binding (Paw Prints, April 9, 2009)
    The Austins are trying to settle into their new life in New York City, but their once close-knit family is pulling away from each other. Their father spends long hours alone in his study working on the research project that brought the family to the city. John is away at college. Rob is making friends with people in the neighborhood: newspaper vendors, dog walkers, even the local rabbi. Suzy is blossoming into a vivacious young woman. And Vicky has become closer to Emily Gregory, a blind and brilliant young musician, than to her sister Suzy.    With the Austins going in different directions, they don’t notice that something sinister is going on in their neighborhood—and it’s centered around them. A mysterious genie appears before Rob and Emily. A stranger approaches Vicky in the park and calls her by name. Members of a local gang are following their father. The entire Austin family is in danger. If they don’t start telling each other what’s going on, someone just might get killed.
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