Carrie Blackburn survived by her wits as a young teen carrying for her 5 year old sister as they lived off the land waiting for her bi-polar mother to return when they were found by her father. Now Carrie must learn to adjust to her new life with her father and his new family including a step sister. Her life in the wilderness does not prepare her for life in high school. Her sister Jenessa is mute due to an event when she was five and Carrie won't speak of it because she is protecting her sister. I generally like coming of age stories and I enjoyed the voice of Carrie. But the plot could have been enhanced so much more if the author would have brought more drama into the story by teasing the reader more about the event that led to Janessa and Carrie's trauma. Also some of the characters were not as fully developed as they could have been. This might be a difficult story for anyone who has lived with or had to endure foster care as a result of a bipolar parent.