Cricket Readers Recommend

After returning home from school one day, Sugar Mae Cole, age twelve, finds out she and her mother, Reba, will have to move out of their house to pay off the loans, overdue bills, and late fees the Coles owe. The fact that Sugar’s father keeps disappearing when his family needs him most doesn’t help. When Reba has a mental breakdown, Sugar and her rescue puppy, Shush, are put into foster care. Meanwhile, Sugar contacts her old sixth grade teacher, Mr. Bennett, who encourages her to face her troubles by writing. Joan Bauer’s deep yet simple style of writing lets Sugar’s sweetness shine through the dark.