num_pages: 191
description: Meet the Austins is the title of a 1960 novel by Madeline L'Engle, the first of her books about the Austin family. It introduces the characters Vicky Austin and her three siblings, and Maggy Hamilton, an orphan. Vicky's noisy, loving, mostly-happy family is disrupted by the arrival of Maggy, a spoiled, troubled only child who had very little family life even before her father died in a plane crash. Maggy encourages Vicky's sister Suzy to misbehave, which in turn makes Vicky's life difficult as she tries to restore order. The book is largely episodic, with each chapter covering a specific incident such as Vicky's bicycle accident or a family vacation.
language: English
title: Meet the Austins
titlecomplete: Meet the Austins (Austin Family #1)
characters: Nanny Jenkins, Mr. Jenkins (Austins), Dave Ulrich, Mr. Ulrich, Douglas Austin, Betsy Ulrich, Sally Howe, Rob Austin, Mr. Rochester, Izzy Jenkins, Commander Jack Rodney, Uncle Hal Huxley, Mr Hamilton, Maggy Hamilton, Pedro Xifra, John Austin, Mr. Ten Eyck, Reverend Eaton, Dr. Wallace Austin, Vicky Austin, Aunt Elena Huxley, Victoria Austin, Suzy Austin
genres: Juvenile, Fiction, Family, Classics, Teen, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Fantasy, Middle Grade
ratings_count: 10074
places: Thornhill, Connecticut, Connecticut, Seven Bay Island
series: Austin Family Chronicles
awards: awardedAt: 883641600000
name: Margaret A. Edwards Award
publisher: The Vanguard Press