Imagine you have a perfect life with a perfect family and friendship, then everything comes crashing down. Well, this is Emma’s life story in Where We Used To Roam by Jenn Bishop. Emma has a best friend, Becca, who is the smartest person she knows but is very different from Emma. Emma has grown up, loves art, and likes to have fun, but Becca is still childish and loves books. Emma wants friends that understand her, like Lucy and Kennedy whom she meets and they have the same interests as her. Emma introduces Becca to her new friends and wants them to be friends with each other, but Becca is uncomfortable around them. Becca doesn’t show this to Emma, but instead she just hangs out with them anyway. One night they all go to Emma’s brother’s football game where he gets injured. Austin has to go to the hospital because of it, and when he does he gets pain pills. After his injury he has changed a lot. He never comes out of his room and he gets mad really easily. Austin’s family notices this and one day his mom finds his pain pills in his room, but Austin was taking them when the prescription passed. With all of this going on Emma also ruins her friendship with Becca at a school field trip. After this happens Emma wants to make things right with Becca, but she can’t because her family decided that it would be best to go to Wyoming with her mom’s old college friend. Emma’s parents want her to get away while they are dealing with getting Austin into rehab. Emma agrees and sets off to Wyoming for a month to get away. When Emma arrives it’s a little awkward adjusting to her new home for a month, but she does with time. For the time she’s there she makes new friends, sees amazing things, and has fun! Emma is finally having a good summer when her mom calls to inform her that Austin is home from rehab and that she can facetime him. Emma’s nervous and excited to see her brother. Will Austin get better or relapse? Will Emma and Becca make up? To find out, read Where We Used To Roam by Jenn Bishop!

If you like Where We Used To Roam you might also enjoy Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. These two books are connected because both of the main characters run away from  their problems. Maniac Magee follows the main character Maniac who lives in the town of Two Mills and is all alone because his parents died when he was young. Maniac has been running and moving ever since he ran away from his aunt and uncle’s house, because they would split him between them. Two Mills is separated by races and sections, such as the East End and the West End. Maniac wants to find a home, so he goes into the East End where he meets Mars Bars, the East End’s bully. After Mars Bars was harassing Maniac, Amanda Beale, one of the East Ender’s, saves Maniac and invites Maniac to her house. After being at her house for a while it was time for him to go home, but he couldn’t because he has no home. The Beale’s find this out and invite him to stay with them. Maniac agrees and is finally happy to have a home after searching for so long. After a couple of months of living with the Beale’s, Maniac is finally happy until the East Ender’s find out that Maniac is living with the Beales and start to harass them. With all of the harassing, Maniac decides to run away from the Beales so they don’t get hurt because of him. After running away Maniac meets Grayson who invites him to live with him. Maniac knew that this had happened before but he agreed. Maniac and Grayson have grown closer as a family, but with his old age it makes things hard. Will Grayson and Maniac live happily ever after? Will Maniac run away again and ever find a home? Read Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli to find out, but don’t forget to also read Where We Used To Roam by Jenn Bishop!