You think you're tough? You don't know tough until you've met the Tillermans.

Dicey, James, Maybeth, and Sammy are four of the most hardcore kids ever to grace the pages of a novel. These guys are only thirteen, ten, nine, and six when their mother abandons them in a mall parking lot, but instead of panicking, they decide to head to their aunt's house for help. Of course, her home just so happens to be eighty miles away. And did we mention that they plan to cover all this ground on foot? And here you thought the hobbits had it rough on the way to Mordor.

Cynthia Voigt said she came up with the idea for Homecoming when she "saw a bunch of kids waiting in a car at a parking lot [… and wondered] what would happen if nobody came back to get them?" Yes, those are the depressing (and intriguing) thoughts that keep writers up at night. Later, Voigt wrote six more books about the Tillerman kids and their adventures, but Homecoming is the place where it all started.

Why has the Tillermans' story captured the hearts of so many readers over the years? We're thinking it's because they're so resilient in the face of a really tricky and dangerous situation. Seriously—if someone left Shmoop all alone in the middle of Connecticut, we'd probably curl up into a little ball and cry. But even though what happens to these kids is super unfair, they don't spend a whole lot of time feeling sorry for themselves. Instead, as the tough are known to do, they get going.

Another reason readers love this scrappy crew? They love each other. Dicey, James, Maybeth, and Sammy don't have many friends, but they're as close as siblings can be. This is why they decide to make their little journey on foot: They can't risk asking for help from some strange adult who might just call social services and have them split up into different foster homes. And so as much as their journey's motivated by abandonment, it's also motivated by love. Think about that the next time your sister borrows your favorite sweater without asking… 

Do you love strong female leads? You know, girls who kick butt and take names, refusing to let the world hold them down. We're assuming you answered yes (because you're not a hater), so get excited to spend some quality time with Dicey Tillerman in Homecoming.

Sure, Dicey doesn't spend her time shooting arrows, hacking computer systems, or excelling at potion making, but that doesn't mean she's just your typical thirteen-year-old girl—nope, Dicey does extraordinary things in our ordinary world. When the Tillermans' mom abandons her kids, Dicey takes charge, leading her three younger siblings on a multi-state trip to find a home, armed with little more than a map, a couple of bucks, and the shoes on their feet. See? This girl has guts.

Before Katniss Everdeen, Lisbeth Salander, and Hermione Granger, there was Dicey Tillerman. So grab a copy of Homecoming and get ready to be reminded of just how incredible teenage girls can be.