You can feel Kyleah's loneliness and despair from the loss of her family and subsequent life in foster homes.  Kyleah's father and twin brother had just disappeared after the divorce, and then her mother died. Now she climbs her favorite tree each morning just at sunrise, because she is sure that if she makes a wish just as the sun starts to appear over the horizon, and she keeps her eyes closed until the sun is in full view, her wishes will come true.

Kyleah doesn't really feel like she fits in with her foster family, and she and her foster brother, Benjamin, plot to run away.  Benjamin has a family in Moose Jaw, across the Canadian border, and Kyleah thinks she might find family members in Montana.  Their escape is filled with suspense and emotion, and sometimes the adventure turns dangerous as they flee from Kansas to Canada, stowing away on vehicles or catching rides when they can.  In the convincing lies they tell to keep from being caught by the authorities and sent back to the Holcomb farm, they  sometimes contradict each other.

This  story addresses the problems of being abandoned and living in a foster home.  It shows how the child might imagine many threats that either don't exist or are misinterpreted.

Herb Leonhard's black and white illustrations add visual depth to the story. We have come to expect great characters from Janet Muirhead Hill, who are impossible to forget.  This great storyteller is a master at realistic, but nearly heart-stopping, excitement in a fast moving plot, and the ending is a satisfying surprise.