Stealing Our Way Home

Gr 5–8—Pippa's words have been stuck deep inside her since her mother's death four months ago; she hasn't spoken since. With fall arriving, her mother's isn't the only absence felt; Mr. Thurber, the wild heron they rescued, hasn't been seen lately, causing Pippa to wonder about his return and severing yet another tie to her mom. Her father is consumed by his job, leaving her in the care of her older brother, Jack. Though their father has the best of intentions, his absentmindedness with the family finances leads to mounting debt and poor choices. After squandering the family's savings and losing his livelihood and quite possibly the house, their father comes up with a fairly simple solution—wear Jack's old superhero masks into the bank to rob it. While family is indeed everything, is it worth doing something so morally wrong? It is only through her friendship with caring individuals and her realization of the gravity of her father's choices and their consequences that Pippa is able to find her words again. Told in alternating chapters between siblings, this is a poignant tale of grief, healing, friendship, and personal endurance. While portraying quite possibly one of the most irresponsible and misguided fathers in children's fiction, Galante crafts a story void of any dialogue from one of her protagonists until well into book's end, an impressive feat.