A Million Ways Home by Dianna Dorisi Winget

I'm going to being playing catch up with a ton of book reviews because it's summer... even though I've been reading like crazy, it's a little hard to sit down at the computer and type up posts.  Here we go!

First up is A Million Ways Home by Dianna Dorisi Winget.  Cute realistic fiction, especially for the younger crowd in middle school.  It has drama - the main character Poppy witnesses a murder.  She's also having to deal with her grandmother's stroke.  It's just Poppy and her grandmother, since her parents died earlier, so while her grandmother's in the hospital Poppy has to live in the orphanage.  This means the book has some meat to it and will keep the reader rooting for its main character.

There are some positive elements woven throughout, such as the police officer who takes a special interest in Poppy's case.  She makes new friends, including a dog.  The German shepherd is considered a dangerous animal, but Poppy is determined to save the day.

I would recommend this book for upper elementary and beginning middle school readers.  The characters are real and develop together.  It's predictable, but sometimes we need that in life.