For five years, Coyote and her dad, Rodeo, have lived on the road and traveled all around the nation in an old school bus. They haven’t been home in all those years, ever since Coyote lost her mom and two sisters in a car accident. But when she finds out that her old neighborhood park — the one where she, her mom, and sisters buried a memory box — is about to be demolished, she creates a stealthy plan to get her dad to drive across the country in just four days without him realizing it.

Their journey includes picking up a few strangers, making some crazy detours, and discovering how everyone has a complicated journey. This story has wonderfully diverse characters with realistic character development and great book references scattered throughout it. The vivid descriptions of Coyote picking up on things like other people’s facial expressions or changes in their tone illustrate the power of empathy. This middle-grade book also subtly addresses a variety of social issues, which I won’t go into since it’ll give away parts of the story. Overall, this book truly tugged on my heartstrings and has me eagerly looking forward to my next road trip!