![]() The Night Swimmers by Betsy Byars was the 1981 National Book Award winner for children's fiction. And, finally, there is a father, who cares more about his children than he once thought possible. And there is a new friend for the boys, who shares their sense of adventure and night meanderings. But there is a new girlfriend, and she is not an evil, abusive stepmother. Admittedly, this is a group of people who have been through a lot – their mother died, and 12-year-old Retta, the oldest and only daughter has been left in charge of her two younger brothers. None of the characters took themselves too seriously from Roy in his “chubby” jeans, to Shorty, in his pink velour cowboy suit. ![]() I found it to be hopeful, and at times, moving and funny. ![]() Maybe because I live with a 9 and 11 year old, I did not find the gentle bickering contained in this book to be a theme. I was struck most by the repeated mention of how sad this book was, and about all of the fighting. After finishing this book, I took a look at some of the other reviews on Goodreads, to gauge the general opinion. ![]() ![]() Written in 1980, it brings to life summers when kids disappeared for days at a time, when there were no planned activities, and each day held its own possibilities. It reminded me why I constantly have my kids read the old Newberry and National Book Award winners. Let me start by saying that I loved this book. ![]()
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