I love when books dive into situations that children may not realize others around them are dealing with. Being homeless and being in foster care are two very real things many children in America go through. This book, Almost Home, is all about both these situations.

A little girl in the 6th grade named Sugar basically doesn’t have a father. She does, but he is off gambling somewhere and she hasn’t seen him in a very long time. She is smart and witty and can market just about anything. She adores her 6th grade teacher, Mr. Bennett as he does her. They are behind on their bills; very behind, and eventually get evicted. She acquires a puppy named Shush in the middle of all this (a little girl gives her the dog because her father is about to take it to the pound) and the dog gives her a sense of family since it’s just her mother and her. Her mother, who tries to be strong, loses her mind and the child protective services take Sugar into foster care. This book is endearing, showing the courage and strength a twelve year old girl has, but it also portrays the sadness and difficulties she goes through just struggling to live each day like a “normal” kid who feels like she has to act grown up.

Click on the image to visit the author’s Amazon page to find more books written by Bauer. 

Bauer, Joan (20120. Almost home. New York, NY: Scholastic.