When Momma abandoned Dicey Tillerman and her three siblings in a mall parking lot and was later traced to an asylum where she lay unrecognizing, unknowing, she left her four children no choice but to get on by themselves. They set off alone on foot over hundreds of miles until they finally found someone to take them in. Gram's rundown farm isn't perfect, but they can stay together as a familywhich is all Dicey really wanted. But after watching over the others for so long, it's hard for Dicey to know what to do now. Her own identity has been so wrapped up in being the caretaker, navigator, penny counter, and decision maker that she's not sure how to let go of some responsibilities while still keeping a sense of herself. But when the past comes back with devastating force, Dicey sees just how necessaryand painfulletting go can be. ;Proves that heroines of young adult fiction can be mature, considerate, even exemplary, and still seem quite real. Dicey Tillerman is not just good, she is strong, like a birch sapling, and it's Voigt's skill in convincing us of that strength that makes her seem so real. ; The Washington Post *  ;Voigt has plumbed and probed her character inside out to fashion a memorable protagonist. Unlike most sequels, this outdoes its predecessor by being more fully realized and more resonant. ; Booklist (starred review) ;A rich and perceptive book. ; BCCB ;A resilient family and a gratifying journey's end. ; Kirkus Reviews

Cynthia Voigt won the Newbery Medal for Dicey’s Song and the Newbery Honor Award for A Solitary Blue, both part of the beloved Tillerman Cycle. She is also the author of many other celebrated books for middle-grade and teen readers, including Jackaroo and Izzy, Willy-Nilly. She was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award in 1995 for her work in literature, and the Katahdin Award in 2004. She lives in Maine.