When a family buys a house in a struggling town for just one dollar,
they're hoping to start over -- but have they traded one set of problems
for another?
Twelve-year-old Lowen Grover is still reeling from the shooting death of
his best friend, Abe, when he stumbles across an article about a small
town giving away homes for just one dollar. It seems like the perfect
escape from Flintlock and all of the awful memories associated with the
city -- and to his surprise, his mum, dad, and older brother are all
onboard. Only his sister, Anneth, is reluctant to leave her friends and
the familiarity (and amenities!) of Flintlock, but with the rest of the
family anxious to do what's best for grief-stricken Lowen, her protests
fall on deaf ears. But is the Dollar Program too good to be true? The
homes are in much worse shape than it appeared from the pictures, and
the locals aren't exactly welcoming. Some of them even seem to resent
the so-called Dollar Families. Will Millville and the dollar house be
the answer to the Grovers' troubles? From the author of Small as an
Elephant and Paper Things comes a heart-tugging novel about guilt and
grief, family and friendship, and, above all, community.