Almost Home by Joan Bauer

This is a very dear story about a strong girl who loves her new puppy as much as she loves writing poetry.

“I need a real house and a normal family,” says  Sugar Mae Cole. She has had a tough life.  Her mother Reba and she are living in Missouri in the house her mother and her grandfather owned.  “King Cole” her grandfather has passed on.

Sugar’s mother falls behind in her bills.  She can’t pay their mortgage.  Before they know it, they’re put out on the street.  Homeless!

Sugar’s father, Mr. Leeland, is a constant drain on Reba.  He promises her the world and delivers on absolutely nothing.  He is a gambler, totally untrustworthy.  Yet he continues to be able to hoodwink Sugar’s mother.

When a promised job in Chicago falls through and Reba and Sugar have nowhere to go, Reba suffers a mental breakdown.

At age twelve, Sugar finds herself in the lead role of her family.

How will they survive in the homeless shelter?  Will the help Reba receives in the hospital be able to bring her back from the brink of losing her mind?  Will the puppy, named Shush, be allowed in the foster home?  How will Sugar Mae find her way back home? Read this touching book to find out!