Aunt Tabby's House

Dad, who came home from Vietnam before his children were born, never talks about that war. But why does Dadtell-or order-Aunt Tabby to be careful what stories she tells, and why is he upset when she gives the children"special names?" Why does he avoid Aunt Tabby's house?It's Mom who agrees to let Jeremy and Katrina fly home with Aunt Tabby. It's Aunt Tabby's story about Dad'schildhood that includes a boy with no name until a computer repairman inquires about Dad's cousin Alvin who isMIA in Vietnam. A picnic with homeless Vietnam veterans helps Jeremy and Katrina understand why Dad doesn'ttalk about the war. It's also a painful subject for Aunt Tabby-the only pacifist in her military family.A game of hide-and-seek uncovers papers hinting that Alvin has reason to be angry with either Dad or AuntTabby, or both. Are strange noises, shadows, a rotten smell, and a missing game evidence of Alvin's ghost? AuntTabby's story of the origin of firecrackers suggests a plan for getting rid of the ghost. Jeremy and Katrina breaka major safety rule and the near-catastrophe forces a confrontation between Dad and Aunt Tabby. The family'sFourth-of-July reunion and barbecue becomes a setting for remembrance and healing.