OVERVIEW: Thirteen-year-old Sal has lived her whole life in Bybanks, Kentucky, and she is not at all happy about moving to Ohio with her father. During a cross-country car trip with her eccentric grandparents to visit her mother in Idaho, Sal tells the story of her life in Ohio so far. Her tale is often funny, but it also reveals the wisdom Sal has gained through her experiences as the “new kid” and her reflections on missing her mother. This wisdom, however, does not fully prepare Sal or the reader for the surprise that waits at the end of the book. At that point, Sal’s journey has become a metaphor for her growth in terms of her identity and her ability to accept (and embrace) her new life.
Themes include grief as a response to death and loss, the discovery of self-identity, and hope.