There were several things I really liked about the book, and especially keeping in mind the age group it was written for. The friendship of Ivy and Teddy, and the loss of Lotty are things that kids will be able to relate to. I also liked the "lesson" at the end of each chapter. It is an important thing to learn that things don't always turn out as or when you want them to.Things I did not care for, and again, especially for the kids reading this book, was firstly, Ivy's attitude. Obviously breaking one's leg at the beginning of summer would be extremely disappointing, but weeks after the accident, Ivy was still being a total brat to everyone trying to help her. I disliked her constantly saying that her mother was annoying. I disliked how her parents coddled her attitude instead of having a come to Jesus meeting with her. I found it completely false that any homeless shelter would allow a 10 year old boy to stay there alone, it just would not happen, and also that his temporary foster home, where he was protected and fed and clean, would indeed only be temporary, as he would be with his druggie mother as soon as she was out of rehab, where they would just live happily ever after, and with a new puppy as well. Authors need to be very careful of the messages they send young readers and setting up that dreamland scenario is harmful to kids who are going through those very things. I also thought it odd that while Ivy and Teddy were running all over the place, alone, at night, without the knowledge of their parents, and lying about it, the first Uber driver said she wasn't supposed to pick up unaccompanied minors but the next three had zero problem with it, even dropping them off alone on a dark street. I didn't know why the girl who got Lotty had to be so horrible, and I would have had huge issues with that vet.
