Almost Home
Bauer, J. (2012). Almost home. New York, NY: Viking.
Sugar is a twelve-year-old girl who writes poetry to help deal with all that is going in her life. She is grieving the loss of her beloved grandfather, King Cole, who helped raise her when her father wasn't around. King Cole was a big influence in Sugar's life and now she spends her time reading his autobiography. She is also grieving another type of loss, that of her gambling addicted father. He has left them once again. Reba, Sugar's mother, isn't able to pay the mortgage to their house anymore so they are forced to move to Missouri. Unfortunately, soon after their move, Reba suffers from a breakdown and is hospitalized. Sugar has to go live with a foster family, but she is able to take her rescue dog, Shush, with her. With the help of her favorite teacher, Mr.B., who has always encouraged her to keep writing her poems, Sugar stays strong and learns how to respond to all that is out of her control.
This book deals with a lot of heavy topics like the death of a family member, addiction, depression, homelessness, and living in foster care. It carries a positive message, though, as Sugar learns she does have control of how she responds to the events in her life. Animal lovers will be able to easily relate to Sugar's strong connection to her dog, Shush, and understand how such a little dog can give her so much strength and hope. I would recommend this for older elementary and middle school kids.
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