Almost Home
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4.6 • 124 Ratings
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
Newbery Honor winner Joan Bauer's new novel will touch your heart
When twelve-year-old Sugar's grandfather dies and her gambling father takes off yet again, Sugar and her mother lose their home in Missouri. They head to Chicago for a fresh start, only to discover that fresh starts aren't so easy to come by for the homeless. Nevertheless, Sugar's mother has taught her to be grateful no matter what, so Sugar does her best. With the help of a rescue dog, Shush; a foster family; a supportive teacher; a love of poetry; and her own grace and good humor, Sugar comes to understand that while she can't control the hand life deals her, she can control how she responds.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Twelve-year-old Sugar Mae Cole has had to act older than her age ever since her beloved grandfather died, and her father abandoned Sugar and her mother, Reba, yet again. But when they lose their house, Sugar must summon additional strength as she and Reba face homelessness. "Before all this happened/ I wasn't brave like I am now./ I didn't know I could take care of my mother/ or pee by the side of the road/ and not get my underpants wet," writes Sugar, a talented poet. She relies on her poetry, along with support from a loving foster family and a favorite teacher, when the stress of their circumstances drives Reba to a serious breakdown. Bauer (Close to Famous) explores a timely issue through the eyes of a resilient girl the kind of heroine so familiar to Bauer's fans. Sugar's anger, fear, humility, and resolve are portrayed with insight and compassion. Bauer also brings moments of levity and hopefulness to the story, which she peppers with a cast of thoughtfully crafted personalities. Ages 10 up.
Customer Reviews
AMAZING !
This book is AMAZING its truly inspiring and emotional,i honestly have never read such an amazing book like this one! This book really touched my heart,i have never read such a great book!
GENIUS
Joan Bauer is truly a genius. This book is so inspiring and really touched my heart
“Almost Home” - Review
This is a good book and well written. One of the best traits of this book, in my opinion, is that it is so easy to relate to Sugar’s pain, confusion and heartache. Especially when it comes to her father, Mr. Leeland... I personally can relate to many of her quotes about her father. Her pain is incredibly realistic, and yet so is her courage. I can definitely say that my compassion for children such as Sugar has increased through the reading of this book. Now, I’m going to be honest, there were some chapters where it got kind of slow, and nothing interesting happened much. But during the first few chapters, I was hooked. Another thing I would say is that in some chapters, Sugar seemed to be portrayed as more of a younger child than twelve. However, that tended to fade as the chapters grew. Her beautiful poems defined inspiring, hopeful and grateful. I absolutely love how she used writing as an escape. That’s beautiful. There were several quotes throughout the entire book that stood out to me. One being, “It’s so perfect it’s irritating.” That has got to be one of the most relatable quotes of all time. There were several other quotes that hit me hard, as well. Overall, Almost Home displays incredible insight on the incredibly strong bond of a mother and daughter, and how they pull through an unimaginably difficult situation.
To Miss Joan,
Thank you so much for writing this book.
Have a blessed day.