B.C. author Cyndi Sand-Eveland channels her experiences working with homeless youth into her second novel, a gritty and moving follow-up to her 2008 debut, Dear Toni.

Mel Tulley and her mother, Cecily, are searching for someplace to call home after making a midnight run away from Cecily’s latest deadbeat boyfriend. Shuffling between street corners and soup kitchens, 12-year-old Mel and her mom dream of becoming famous singers – but only if Cecily can get her problems with drinking, drugs, and shoplifting under control.

When Cecily is arrested and sentenced to a month in prison, Mel is sent to live with her estranged grandmother. For Mel, the arrangement presents an opportunity to find out more about her past and experiment with budding independence.

Sand-Eveland doesn’t shy away from the reality of life on the streets. Mel spends a rainy night alone and hungry beneath a highway overpass, and even after she comes under the care of a social worker, things aren’t immediately rosy when she is forced to move in with her icy, distrustful grandmother.

The book’s lone weakness is Sand-Eveland’s characterization of Cecily, who is obnoxiously immature. With a quick temper and a tendency to kick and scream, Cecily comes across as a pathetic thorn in the side of her pragmatic, intelligent daughter. It’s clear Mel loves her mother despite the older woman's destructive shortcomings, but the beauty and complexity of their bond is derailed by Cecily’s unlikable nature.

By contrast, Mel emerges as a resilient kid who takes a level-headed approach to obstacles. Young readers will identify with her struggle to do the right thing as she gains more responsibility. Faced with a particularly tough decision in the book’s final pages, Mel’s maturity shines through and helps her finally find a place to call home.