Perma-Bound reinforced paperback book made for libraries. The Night Swimmers The Night Swimmers by Betsy Byars Betsy Byars Childrens Author, Newbery Award Winner With their mother dead and their father working nights, Rhetta tries to be a mother to her two younger brothers.

In this first critical study of Betsy Byars, Malcolm Usrey brings us into. And little Roy hates to be left out of anything.Ĭondition: Good. and The Night Swimmers, which received the American Book Award in 1981.

Retta seems to have everything under control-until Johnny's new friend has other plans for him at night. When she discovers a swimming pool in a neighbor's yard, nighttime swimming becomes the perfect entertainment for the three of them. How can Retta be angry with her father for leaving her alone with her brothers at night while he performs as a country-western singer? After all, he has his job to do, and she has hers.Įver since their mother died, Retta (named for Loretta Lynn) has been responsible for taking care of her younger brothers, Johnny and Roy, and for running the house. The Night Swimmers is a classic book by Betsy Byars. 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. Betsy Byars, who drew from life to write award-winning children’s books that often portrayed young people grappling with abandonment, died on Feb. Byars was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1971 for The Summer of the Swans, and the National Book Award in 1981 for The Night Swimmers.

The night swimmers betsy byars