Dana is new on the streets. She ran away from home because of troubles with her stepfather. Thanks to the help of her new friends Brent and Ashley, she is learning to survive without a home. Things are not easy, but a chance encounter helps her find a little bit of happiness among the grim realities of her new life.

Brent and Ashley teach her all the skills of panhandling, squeegie-ing, and other unique skills needed to bring in some money so they can afford to eat, get smokes, and sometimes even sleep in a hotel room. Sometimes they find themselves sleeping in abandoned buildings, a tent town, or even just under the cover of overhangs.

One afternoon she is using some garbage-recovered spray paint to create a mural when a man is walking by. Robert is impressed by her work and tells her she has real talent. As a result, he encourages her to come by the drop-in center that he works at. It is call Sketches, and it specializes in providing homeless and poor youth have access to art materials so they can express themselves and learn some skills in the process.

With a past history of art lessons, Dana is more than happy to go down, and finds a wonderful outlet for her and some much needed opportunities.

Dana is an interesting character to tell the story. Because she is new to street life, she presents the environment with naive eyes, something most readers will likely have. As a result the harsh realities, though seemingly shielded on the true grimmery, will have the full effect on the reader.

Dana is not alone in having a fully developed background and reasons to be on the street. Both Brent and Ashley have their stories told as well, allowing the reader to better understand why a teen might run away and choose to struggle on the streets rather than in the assumed safety and security of their homes.

I really found myself quickly drawn into the tale of these three kids. I do have to admit that I thought things went a little smoother than they probably do for homeless teens, but that didn't make me want to stop reading. It seems that Dana and her friends are among the lucky ones, but throughout the story, we do get glimpses of how things can go even worse as they run into various other homeless folks of all ages.

This is not a book that is well-marketed, but it is one that is thoroughly interesting. I wish that it was getting more coverage by review sources and other media because it is really worth picking up.