Joyce Moyer Hostetter

As World War II threatens the United States in 1941, fourteen-year-old Junior Bledsoe fights his own battles at home. Junior struggles with school and with anger at his father, his insufferable granddaddy, his neighbors, and himself as he desperately tries to understand himself and find his own aim in life. But he finds relief in escaping to the quiet of the nearby woods and tinkering with cars, something he learned from his Pop, and a fatherly neighbor...

In this award-winning sequel to Blue, Ann Fay's family is back together, but much mending is needed. Ann Fay's polio and her father's post-war trauma stole the good life her family had before the war, before the polio, before the death of her little brother. Now, they are looking for comfort - "the kind that made you feel safe on the inside, instead of sad or worried. The kind that reminded you of how life was before some disaster snuck up and knocked...

World War II is over, but the Honeycutt family is still feeling its devastating effects. Especially Daddy, who can't forget what he saw on the battlefield and sometimes can't cope with everyday life. Fourteen-year-old Ellie Honeycutt finds escape at the NASCAR speedway and in her dreams of travel and college. Her twin sister, Ida, clings to family and finds solace in her sketchbook. Once inseparable, the two sisters find themselves growing apart...