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Martha L. (Warner, NH)
a journey home
Walk Me Home by Catherine Ryan Hyde is a novel that tugs at your heart strings and allows you to see the good in people. The main characters are two resilient girls; Jen (11 years old) and Carly (16 years old). They are sisters who live with their mom and whoever she happens to be living with at that time. Their mom works two jobs and seems to be less than "caring" according to Carly.
A series of incidents occur that leave Jen, Carly and their mom in an unsafe position with a volatile man in New Mexico. The man and the mother are killed in a car accident and the girls are left alone and vulnerable. They decide to hike back to where they have lived for a long time in California. Carly thinks that Ted (the last boyfriend) will take them in and care for them. Jen is less able to believe that he is a safe choice. Jen and Carly end up walking a long, long way keeping track of all the money they are going to owe people who they have borrowed or even stolen from.
It is a long journey for two young girls to Walk Me Home and a variety of people offer to help; some good, some bad. Jen is more able to accept help than Carly, which eventually causes a breech in their relationship.
The book is identified as a young adult's book grades nine and up. Catherine Ryan Hyde also wrote the book Pay it Forward. It is scheduled to be out on in a couple of weeks at the end of April.
The book allows the reader to see the good in a variety of people who offer to help, while allowing the main characters to struggle in their journey that is more than just miles on a road. The story line and the characterization of the book was good. It is an author I would choose to read again. It is a fast read that is difficult to put down as you become more entranced with the girls and how the story rolls out. Some journeys are more than just a move to a new place.
Helen M. (Petaluma, CA)
A Journey of Discovery
This book was read in one weekend. I did not really expect to like it and the truth is I loved it. Walk Me Home is full of wonderful character development and they are lively and interesting people. They make you laugh and cry. We learn about Naive American reservations, we experience the bold and colorful Southwest. Love and forgiveness are recurring themes in the book. I am not talking about plot as I feel it should not be spoiled in any way. It unfolds and we are happy onlookers.
Valerie C. (Chico, CA)
Good young adult fiction without the vampires
It has been awhile since I've been so engrossed in a book to finish it in less than 24 hours. This book absorbed my interest from the opening page, and kept delivering. Walk Me Home touches on many important issues for young adults: abuse, mothers whose best is really not quite enough, sibling dynamics, and trust. I doubt readers will be disappointed.
Angela J. (Highlands Ranch, CO)
Walk Me Home by Catherine Ryan Hyde
I really enjoyed this book. At first, I was anxious to read about two young girls traveling alone, without any money or resources, but it proved to be groundless. It was told from the perspective of a young girl, much too young to be saddled with the responsibility of taking care of herself and her younger sister. But like all her books, there is always an element of hope and salvation for her characters.
Cam G. (Murrells Inlet, SC)
Walk Me Home
Two young girls, in fear of being sent to foster care, walk away from their home after their mother has died in order to search for the mother's ex boyfriend. This is the story of their journey on foot with little more than the clothes on their backs through New Mexico and into the desert of Arizona where they meet up with a Watapi Indian woman who takes them in after they are caught stealing eggs. This is a lovely heart wrenching/warming story and one in which you will find yourself pulling for them all the way!
Susan B. (Rutledge, MO)
occasionally interesting; not great
This was a somewhat interesting, but not great, read. I didn't care for the main character, finding her choices baffling and the basic premise (an 11 year old and a 16 year old walking hundreds of miles through the desert Southwest) unbelievable. The ending felt contrived, predictable, and too moralistic for my taste. There were some interesting scenes from the journey and their time on a Native American reservation, but overall there isn't much for me to recommend.
Kristen K. (Atlanta, GA)
Walk Me Home
This is a coming of age story of two sisters under difficult circumstances. The story centers around the older sister. For most of the book I really did not like her character but the author did a good job of helping you understand her perspective and why she behaved like she did. Reading about how she was able to change was almost as painful for the reader as it was for her. I enjoyed reading about the girls travels and where they ended up. The book would provide many good discussion points for a book club and anyone who has ever raised a teenager can relate to the main character's journey.
Madeline M. (FL)
Walk Me Home
I definitely enjoyed aspects of this novel - the secondary characters, like Delores, Alvin, Lois, and Malcolm were wonderful as were a number of scenes which almost broke my heart.
I struggled with the writing itself, which felt choppy to me, and I didn't connect with the two main characters the way I wanted to.