Massachusetts, California, Timbuktu

Dragged from California to Utah to Massachusetts in the wake of their mother Colleen's chaotic existence, Justine and Rona watch as visions of the family's "great new life" quickly fade. Colleen just can't get it together and Justine, reluctantly progressing toward the alien territory of adolescence, is increasingly called upon to act as a caretaker for her younger sister. Assigned in class to keep a pioneer diary "from a child's point of view," Justine invents an alternate world-not an easier place, but one where she's in charge and where, if she tries hard enough, she will be able to convey herself and her sister over the treacherous terrain of their childhood. A smart and poignant novel full of courage and heart.