First published 2008
Vicky Austin watches her family splinter as her brother leaves for college and her sister moves away. The Austins must abandon their peaceful country home for city life, but first they attempt an ambitious cross country road trip. The journey becomes a nightmare. Dangerous weather batters them. Wild animals pose constant threats. The family realizes they lack the skills and preparation for such a trek. Each new crisis puts more strain on already fragile family bonds. Vicky questions where she fits in this changing family dynamic while her parents struggle to hold everyone together. The road tests everything the Austins thought they knew about themselves. Through one disaster after another, Vicky starts to understand something important about her own strength and character. What began as transportation to a new life becomes something much deeper.
Genres: family-life, adventure, coming-of-age, contemporary
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
255 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Laurel Leaf