The Wrong Way Home (juvenile fiction)

Fern (going on 13), protagonist of Kate O'Shaughnessy's The Wrong Way Home, has lived in an off-the-grid survivalist community run by Dr. Ben. They have nothing to do with modern technology. They make everything they need from their clothes and furniture to sweaters and hats to sell at farmers markets. They are preparing to survive a future disaster. They shun the outside world and the adults do their best to frighten the children. Dr. Ben has control of everyone's lives.
Fern loves it. Her fragmented memories from her life before are of poverty and constantly moving. She loves the regularity of daily and seasonal routines. They give her a sense of security. She enjoys the farm work, although not so much the knitting. And she and her best friend are inseparable.
One night Fern's mother wakes her up and tells her to be quiet and get dressed. She tells her they're going on an off-site, an errand that involves leaving the Ranch. Her mother drives all the next day, stopping at a motel for the night. Fern is getting really suspicious.
"We haven't picked anything up. No fuzzy chicks, no bags of seeds for the greenhouse, no new knitting needles or garden trowels or other tools. Nothing."
That's when her mother tells her that they won't be returning to the Ranch. They end up in California, a continent away from the only place she considers home. Her mother gets a motel housekeeping job and they move into one of its rooms. Fern now has to deal with all the things she has been taught to fear including public school, where she does not fit in.
Fern is sure that if he writes to Dr. Ben he'll rescue her and correct her mother's strange new way of thinking. The problem is she doesn't have any address to send the letter to. As she strives to discover it her thinking begins to change. Some things about her new world are good and not all Dr. Ben preaches is the truth.
This is a most excellent narrative of a preteen going through an all encompassing life change. Middle grade readers will find it both engaging and thought provoking. If you're looking for a fresh title for your child's mid summer reading or a volume for a two generation book club this would be a great choice.
On a purrrsonal note, I read The Wrong Way Home in one of my favorite spaces—the porch of the camp Eugene made. Eugene had thought he'd be elder sitting his mother. But his sister found someone else. So our camp weekend was a truly wonderful surprise.
A great big shout out goes out to Eugene.
Jules Hathaway