Rachel, her sister, Cassie and bother, Joey move with their widower father from the city to a rented farm 2 miles from the nearest neighbor during the Great Depression. Shortly after moving, their father finds that the only work he can get is building a road that will keep him away from home for weeks, if not months, at a time. The bulk of the story is Rachel and her siblings surviving alone during winter and spring in the unfamiliar setting. ( )

Because the family is running out of money, Rachel, her siblings and her Pop must move from their New York apartment to an abandoned farm upstate. When they get there, Rachel's Pop discovers that a promised job is no longer his, and so he must leave the siblings on their own for several months to go find work. Rachel and her younger brother and sister are on their own, determined to prove to their Pop that they can care for the family's new farm. If you love historical, survive against the odds, fiction as I do, you'll enjoy this book. It's a perfect choice for upper elementary and middle school girls. ( )