KIRKUS REVIEWHyde?s newest (Diary of a Witness, 2009, etc.), about two sisters looking for a home after their mother's death, straddles the fence between adult and YA fiction.After their mother dies in a car crash with her latest live-in boyfriend in New Mexico, 16-year-old Carly is afraid she and her 11-year-old sister, Jen, will end up separated in foster care. The only person approaching family in their lives is previous ?step-father? Teddy, who lived with them back in California until her mother accused him of attempting to abuse Jen; Carly is so sure her mother made up her claim as an excuse to leave him for Wade that she refused to talk to her right up until her death. Carly has no address for Teddy, but she sets out with less enthusiastic Jen to find him. After 10 days of walking, they make it to Arizona, where Delores, a 91-year-old elder of the (fictional) Wakapi tribe, catches them trying to steal eggs from her henhouse. Delores makes them work for her for 10 days in supposed retribution while she feeds and houses them. Jen quickly bonds with Delores, whose rough veneer covers a tender heart not unlike Carly?s. Jealous that everyone likes Jen better and hurt that Jen has adapted to life on the farm more easily, Carly redoubles her efforts to find Teddy. When Jen refuses to leave with her this time, Carly sets out on her own, hitching rides and riding the train¥in a harrowing display of physical enduranceÂ¥until she arrives at the seaside town where Teddy has landed with a new girlfriend. Carly, who inhabits a politically correct world in which white rednecks are all evil and all Native Americans are noble upholders of moral goodness, is a familiar literary convention: the spunky innocent who talks tough to hide her vulnerability.Hyde knows how to punch all the emotional hot buttons but neither plot nor characters are believable or original.

Although a typical Catherine Ryan Hyde novel, this one is a little less captivating than some of her others. Perhaps a bit less believable. Still, a quick read and not a bad story. Just not one I think I will be thinking about afterward or perhaps even remember this time next month. ( )

The summary of the book was interesting and it started out keeping my interest but I have to say this was not one of the most enjoyable books to read. I didn't like or have any sympathy for the older sister and that usually impacts my enjoyment of the book. I can't really put my finger on what I didn't like about the book overall but it was really just an okay read.

I received this book from NetGalley.com ( )

When Carly and Jen's mother dies suddenly, they want to stay together, and out of foster care. So, they begin walking from New Mexico to California to find the man, Teddy, who was like a father to them before her mother began seeing Wade. Bound by an honor code, the sisters try to keep track of what they steal so they can repay it when possible. However, one night, they are caught trying to steal eggs from an elderly Native American woman. She tells them to pay off their debt by working for her. The sisters are at odds on whether they should continue to search for Teddy.
What happens is a bit of soul-searching, and understanding what a home and family really are.
I enjoyed this story about determination and coming to terms with loss, sorrow, and longing. I also liked the kindness of strangers that was depicted in many instances throughout the book. ( )

A bit slow and circuitous, I skipped to the last page just to see how it ended. ( )