As she travels via train to Chicago from L.A., Rydr is heading for a new life once again. Since her grandmother has recently died, she is being taken in by an elderly uncle she has never met. But her current journey on the train is the book’s focus, not the destination; Rydr has no other family, since she has never known her dad, and she lost her mom to drugs. But the people she encounters on the train become her family, as their kindness and support  affords her the opportunity to begin to start loving herself. This children’s novel by Paul Mosier is poignant, truthful, and tugs at one’s heartstrings as 13 year old Rydr finally finds the love and acceptance she has been craving her whole life. It is one of the titles in the LARC Youth Services Mock Newbery Group and I give it high marks. Recommended for ages 8 to 12.

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