The Great Good Summer

Ivy Green's steady, reliable mother has run off with Hallelujah Dave to his church in the Panhandle of Florida leaving Ivy and her father without a real clue to her where exactly she is and if she is ever coming back.

When Ivy becomes friends with a classmate, Paul, he offers her a solution to her problems.  The two embark on a journey to Florida on their own, intent on finding Ivy's mom.

This is a sweet story that I was easily entertained by.  I appreciated that the content was clean and could be enjoyed by a younger audience (fourth - sixth grade) even though Ivy is in middle school.

Her friendship with Paul isn't romantic, and as the two travel together they form a true friendship.  Despite the fact that Paul's life looks ideal to outsiders, his parents don't seem to understand his dreams and wishes, which is something Ivy realizes is different about her relationship with her parents.

I enjoyed The Great Good Summer immensely and can't wait to see another novel from Scanlon.