Halfway to the Sky — Kimberley Brubaker Bradley

From the Newbery Honor and Schneider Award-winning author of The War that Saved My Life comes Halfway to the Sky, a compelling novel perfect for fans of Rain Reign.

   Twelve-year-old Dani is running away from home, or what's left of home anyway. Her older brother, who had muscular dystrophy, died a few months ago. Then her father left and her parents got divorced. Now home is just Dani and her sad, silent mother, and Dani's got to get away. She plans to do something amazing, and go where her parents will never find her: she's going to hike the whole Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine. The trail is a legend in her family, the place where her parents met, fell in love, and got married 14 years before.
    Unfortunately for her master plan, her mother doesn't have much trouble figuring out where Dani's gone. Now it's the two of them, hiking for as long as Dani can manage to persuade her mother to keep going. But Dani's got an even longer emotional journey to make -- and it's one she and her mom need to make together.

"A wise and thoughtful book."-The Bulletin

"[Readers] will readily relate to the angst and anger and be intrigued by the details about the Trail itself."-Kirkus Reviews