{my thoughts} - This book is a classic. It is about the determination of a young girl to keep what is left of her family together in one place. It is important to her not to lose anymore of the family that she has left even if that includes letting other not so pleasant family members into their lives. The hurt the four children are left with from the disappearance of their mother only makes the four of them stronger. It is a really good read and I am sure anyone that likes a good adventure will enjoy this book. ( )

{my thoughts} - This book is a classic. It is about the determination of a young girl to keep what is left of her family together in one place. It is important to her not to lose anymore of the family that she has left even if that includes letting other not so pleasant family members into their lives. The hurt the four children are left with from the disappearance of their mother only makes the four of them stronger. It is a really good read and I am sure anyone that likes a good adventure will enjoy this book. ( )

Choosing to banish screens from the bedroom has done wonders for my reading life. And after a summer jag reading The Chronicles of Narnia (my selected favorites), I chose to pursue more children's lit for most of my evening reads.

I think I read [b:Homecoming|12125|Homecoming (Tillerman Cycle, #1)|Cynthia Voigt|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1390250078s/12125.jpg|213788] years ago. But with the passage of time, and a more mature appreciation for a road trip tale, and childhood vis a vis abandonment, this read seemed like the first. The pages just kept turning.

The next title in the series, [b:Dicey's Song|11831|Dicey's Song (Tillerman Cycle, #2)|Cynthia Voigt|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1386923650s/11831.jpg|1968913] is on my nightstand, because I'm eager to know how each child fares in the next phase of their development. How do we survive childhood? How does anyone who faces the challenges of the Tillerman clan? What kind of adults will they be?

Almost, but not quite, unbelievable reading. ( )

This is a book in the Tillerman Cycle series. It is the first book. The books do not need to be read in order.

From Wikipedia: "In Homecoming, the four Tillerman children search for a new home after they are abandoned by their emotionally ill mother. Dicey and her younger brothers and sister eventually settle in with their grandmother ("Gram") on a stark homestead in Crisfield, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay."

"The series does not follow a strict chronological order. Dicey's Song, A Solitary Blue, and Come a Stranger are interlocked and overlap. The Runner is a standalone novel and the events in it take place about ten years before Homecoming."

The characters are so well developed in this book, especially that of Dicey who is the responsible, older child in charge of her siblings. Abigail Tillerman, Dicey's maternal grandmother, is another marvel of Voight's writing. The perfect combination of hard and crusty with astute, reluctant kindness. Abigail fires up the third act and elevates the entire book. This is a heartfelt story with themes of love, abandonment, survival, friendship and family. Definitely worth the read. ( )