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A review by thriftylibrarian
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart
4.0
Hoo boy. Hooooo boy. This book. You know how every so often a book comes along that hits you right in the feels ? That was this book for me.
12 year old Coyote Sunrise (not her real name, but rather the name she adopted five years ago after the tragic car accident that killed her mother and two sisters) lives a transient life with her father, Rodeo, living in modified school bus and traveling the United States. They don't talk about the past. Ever.
Rodeo doesn't even want to be called Dad, because the memories associated with that word are too difficult to bear. He's a crusty hippie with a lot of issues (possibly too many, if I'm honest), but he and Rodeo love each other and support each other the best they can.
Here's one of my favorite quotes, told from Coyote's point of view:
"I love Rodeo because if tomorrow I spit in his face and threw all his favorite books out the window and called him all the worst words I could think of, he wouldn't love me one little bit less... I love Rodeo because on the worst day of my life he held me and held me and held me and didn't let me go". I tried to clear my throat but kinda failed, so I went on in a scratchy sort of whisper. "I love Rodeo because if I didn't love him, he'd fall apart".
Which, whew, is a lot of pressure on a kid. But it also describes the grief and love that holds this pair together.
Coyote gets a call from her Grandma, who tells her that the neighborhood park is going to be destroyed to put in a new intersection. The same park that Coyote and her mom and sisters buried a memory box in just days before the accident. Coyote knows she has to dig up the box, the last thing remaining of her former life, and fuflill the promise she made to her mom and sisters five years ago. She has to convince Rodeo to drive from Florida to Washington in four days, without him knowing the real purpose of their trip. Along they way, they collect a rag-tag bunch of riders with their own issues, and share in their joys and sorrows.
4/5 stars because some of the characters seemed like they were put there to fill a diversity quota or as plot devices (every flavor of trauma imaginable) rather than as real people. Also the ending was a little unbelievable. And there was a bit of sloppy editing (the car accident happened a few days after Coyote's older sister's tenth birthday, but later Coyote states that her sister will be eleven forever) that took me out of the story more than I would have liked. Overall worth a read, especially for children and parents who are dealing with grief
12 year old Coyote Sunrise (not her real name, but rather the name she adopted five years ago after the tragic car accident that killed her mother and two sisters) lives a transient life with her father, Rodeo, living in modified school bus and traveling the United States. They don't talk about the past. Ever.
Rodeo doesn't even want to be called Dad, because the memories associated with that word are too difficult to bear. He's a crusty hippie with a lot of issues (possibly too many, if I'm honest), but he and Rodeo love each other and support each other the best they can.
Here's one of my favorite quotes, told from Coyote's point of view:
"I love Rodeo because if tomorrow I spit in his face and threw all his favorite books out the window and called him all the worst words I could think of, he wouldn't love me one little bit less... I love Rodeo because on the worst day of my life he held me and held me and held me and didn't let me go". I tried to clear my throat but kinda failed, so I went on in a scratchy sort of whisper. "I love Rodeo because if I didn't love him, he'd fall apart".
Which, whew, is a lot of pressure on a kid. But it also describes the grief and love that holds this pair together.
Coyote gets a call from her Grandma, who tells her that the neighborhood park is going to be destroyed to put in a new intersection. The same park that Coyote and her mom and sisters buried a memory box in just days before the accident. Coyote knows she has to dig up the box, the last thing remaining of her former life, and fuflill the promise she made to her mom and sisters five years ago. She has to convince Rodeo to drive from Florida to Washington in four days, without him knowing the real purpose of their trip. Along they way, they collect a rag-tag bunch of riders with their own issues, and share in their joys and sorrows.
4/5 stars because some of the characters seemed like they were put there to fill a diversity quota or as plot devices (every flavor of trauma imaginable) rather than as real people. Also the ending was a little unbelievable. And there was a bit of sloppy editing (the car accident happened a few days after Coyote's older sister's tenth birthday, but later Coyote states that her sister will be eleven forever) that took me out of the story more than I would have liked. Overall worth a read, especially for children and parents who are dealing with grief