Made In The U.S.A., by Billie Letts

15 year old Lutie and her younger brother, Fate are living with their father's ex-girlfriend, Floy, in South Dakota until the day that Floy drops dead of a heart attack at Wal-Mart. Fearful of being put in foster homes, Lutie & Fate steal Floy's car & drive to Las Vegas to look for their alcoholic father. It turns out that their father died a year earlier and the two kids have to live out of the car for several weeks, until Lutie is badly beaten for the little money she had saved to get an apartment. A stranger, Juan, and his dog come to her rescue just in time & Juan drives Lutie & Fate to Oklahoma, where he has family that he hasn't seen in 15 years. The family runs a circus, and after healing up from her injuries, Lutie begins to learn to walk on a high wire. Fate meets a boy who becomes his best friend and the circus family becomes family to both the kids. It is the first real home they have had for years. This story was an entertaining read for me.