First sentence: The battered old Model T Ford sputtered and stalled. With a sigh, sixteen-year-old Tom Turner guided it to the side of the dirt road. He slid out of the worn seat on the driver's side and stood next to the vehicle, stopping a moment as he heard a hissing sound. He shook his head. "The transmission's bad, and it looks like we blew a tire, too."

Premise/plot: Hallie, Tom, and Benny are orphans traveling the road during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. When their car breaks down in Kansas, they have no choice but to camp out until they can fix it. The farmer whose land they are on talks with them. It isn't instant friendship or kinship. But he offers Tom a chance, an opportunity. That's what Tom wants--all of them want--opportunities to work, to earn money, to survive. The family soon becomes neighborly. Benny befriends their daughter--both have similar mental/developmental differences. They bring out the best in each other. They bless one another with friendship. Hallie and the mother take turns teaching the children since the school system refuses to educate them because of their disability. Hallie does go to school sometimes. She loves learning and sees it as a great opportunity. Are the children accepted? Not really. Not at first. They are seen as "squatters" and "vagrants" and "thieves." The fact that Tom--who is very skilled mechanically--is taking away a job from an unskilled person is offensive to some.

The book is set in the 1930s, of course, and in Kansas.

My thoughts: Ultimately this one is such a feel-good read. I absolutely loved, loved, loved it. I thought everything about it was wonderful. I loved the relationships that developed. I loved the unfolding of the story. I highly recommend this one! ( )

Tom, Hallie, and Bennie Turner find themselves searching for a home right in the middle of the Great Depression and a "dust bowl". Will they ever find a a place to call home?