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.

Close to Famous

Joan Bauer has a way of bringing her characters’ struggles to the forefront in her stories which makes her readers feels that they are not the only ones facing personal problems. In Close to Famous, twelve-year-old Foster McGee has been told by kids at school, teachers, and even her mother’s abusive boyfriend, Huck, that she was stupid. Foster’s father was killed in Iraq and she stores all his mementos in a special pillowcase. When Foster’s mom walks out on Huck after a horrible fight, the pair drives from Tennessee to West Virginia. Unfortunately, Huck keeps Foster’s precious pillowcase and demands they come back. The thing that saves Foster is her natural ability to put ingredients together to create delicious cupcakes and meals. She wants more than anything to be a famous Food Network chef like her idol, Sonny Kroll. Before long, Foster’s secret struggle is out. Can her new friends help her? Will her mom make sacrifices to get Foster’s pillow back? Read this meaningful novel to find out. Other great books by Joan Bauer include Stand Tall, Hope Was Here, and Rules of the Road.