Super Short Summary

Almost Home by Joan Bauer is a contemporary fiction novel set primarily in inner-city Chicago, centering on twelve-year-old Sugar Mae Cole as she grapples with escaping poverty after her grandfather's death. Facing homelessness when her father abandons them, Sugar and her mother navigate shelters and receive support from a loving foster family, where Sugar discovers resilience through writing. The book deals with themes of homelessness, financial hardship, and parental neglect.