Almost Home by Joan
Bauer
12 year old Sugar Mae Cole’s grandfather dies, and is very
sad, yet goes on with her life. As soon as she thought life couldn’t be any
worse, it got worse Sugar and her mom, Reba, lost their house in Missouri.
Sugar’s mom is in debt because her dad took all their money and left them with
nothing. This is how they lost their house. Reba makes a quick trip to the
grocery store with Sugar, and expected the unexpected. This little girl gives
Sugar a puppy named Shush, and hurries off, leaving Sugar there holding the
puppy very confused. After that, Sugar and her mom are forced to evacuate their
house, leaving many memories behind. Now they are moving from homeless shelters
to homeless houses.
My favorite part of the book would have to be when the
little girl gives Sugar the puppy. It was a nice sweet moment to see a new
addition to the family, by surprise. I would definitely recommend this book to
a middle-school audience. The book Almost Home by Joan Bauer should definitely
be kept in the library. The story is great for kids to learn to move on with
their life, because it’s not the end of the world if a loved one passes away,
or if you lose something very important to you. It’s the start of a new
beginning. Sugar and her mom learned to live with nothing but a puppy, and in a
homeless shelter. This book is 5 stars. Leyla L.; Teen Reviewer