— You can't always decide where life will take you -- especially when you're a kid. —
— Carlie knows she's got no say in what happens to her. Stuck in a foster home with two other kids, Harvey and Thomas J, she's just a pinball being bounced from bumper to bumper. As soon as you get settled, somebody puts a... more »nother coin in the machine and off you go again. But against her will and her better judgment, Carlie and the boys become friends. And all three of them start to see that they can take control of their own Iives.
Notable Children's Book of 1977 (ALA)
1977 Children's Book Award (CSA)
Best Books of 1977 (SLJ)
Notable 1977 Children's Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)
Children's Books of 1977 (Library of Congress)
International Year of the Child Special Hans Christian Andersen Honors List (IBBY)
1980 William Allen White Award (Kansas)
1980 Mark Twain Award (Missouri Library Association)
1980 California Young Readers Award
1982 Golden Archer Award (Wisconsin)
1978-79 Georgia Children's Book Award
1980 Charlie May Simon Children's Books Award (Arkansas)« less
As usual, Besty Byars captures the nuances of children thriving in difficult circumstances. Three foster children learn to accept life changes and support each other as they face new lives.