Almost Home

Joan Bauer’s Almost Home is also on the Texas Lone Star Reading List 2013-14. Joan Bauer is a master at creating characters that readers can relate to and remember long after they finish reading her books. Every so often I come across a book where I find so many quotes I want to highlight and share with others – this is one of those novels. This emotional story is about a little girl named Sugar who becomes homeless through a series of events that spiral out of control. She loses more than any child should including the school that has the best teacher who truly “gets” her strengths, the grandfather who was her only reliable father figure, the secure home she has grown up in, and ultimately the mother she has taken care of for so long. Don’t worry though – Sugar has the strength of a warrior and Bauer ensures that she has safety nets to catch her when things become unbearable. Everyone needs a dog to come home to, a teacher who never gives up on you, and genuinely good people who become family by choice. I absolutely loved this one! Language arts teachers will appreciate Sugar’s messages via letters and poems throughout the story. Other great stories by Joan Bauer include Close to Famous, Peeled, Squashed, Thwonk, Best Foot Forward, Stand Tall, Rules of the Road, Sticks, and Backwater.