Julia and the Art of Practical Travel

Eleven-year-old Julia Lancaster’s story begins in 1968 on “the day that my life at Windy Ridge ended and my life everyplace else began.” After Julia’s wealthy grandmother dies, and the family estate in the Hudson Valley is sold, Julia and her Aunt Constance hit the road, determined to track down Julia’s mother, who disappeared three years before. In an old station wagon full of family heirlooms like a silver tea set and oriental carpets—“practical travel things,” according to Aunt Constance—they travel from New York to California. Along the way, privileged, sheltered Julia becomes closer to her reserved aunt and forms many opinions of her own, not always generous ones (“I decided that old-guard New Orleans grande dame meant an old lady who was quite fat and wore lots of face powder and big hats and flowered dresses”). But overall, Blume (Tennyson) offers a touching and entertaining series of adventures, set amid changing landscapes and 1960s culture. Photos Julia takes with her Brownie camera appear throughout. Ages 8–12. Agent: Molly Friedrich, Friedrich Agency. (Mar.)