Member Reviews

This book was appeared on our 2021/22 Connecticut State Book Awards list and was a crowd favorite amongst our 5th graders. Generally, books of this length are not as widely read in our grades 3-5 school; however, this title was an exception. The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise was recommended from student-to-student throughout the school year. The story touched many hearts and maintained high circulation numbers throughout the entire school year.

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I have read all of Gemeinhart’s books now, and although I have loved them all SO MUCH, I can definitely tell that Gemeinhart’s craft is excelling.

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EVERYONE stop what you are doing and read this book now! Heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time, Coyote Sunrise makes you want to go on this journey with her and Rodeo. You will laugh at the situations Coyote finds herself in and cry when you realize what is actually happening. Why do Coyote and Rodeo live on a bus? Why do they avoid a certain area of the country in their travels? And what is so important that Coyote needs to get there? Read and find out!

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The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise is one of the best middle grade novels of today. The story touches on loss and finding yourself -- it is the perfect novel for middle school students.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced digital copy of The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise.

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I wasn't sure if I would like this story of a young girl, Coyote, who lives a rambling life with her dad, Rodeo, driving aimlessly around the country in a converted school bus. Soon, however, Coyote discovers that the park near the home where they used to live with her mom and two sisters is about to be destroyed. This spurs her to make Rodeo go home, even though neither have faced the tragic loss of their family. This book really grew on me. It begins with just Coyote and Rodeo, but they end up picking up fellow travelers, which adds to the story. This is a great read!

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Coyote and her dad have been wandering around in a school for five years. You see, ever since Coyote's mom and sisters died in an accident her father couldn't face going back home. However, Coyote's fondness for a park near their house--and the memory of something she buried there--inspires her to go back home before bulldozers destroy it. The problem is that she now needs to find a way to trick her father into driving the 3,000 miles back home without him realizing what she is doing.

The title's adjective comes from the remarkable people they pick up along heir journey and the memories created along the way.

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It all starts with a 12 year-old girl and her dad travelling the country in an old, converted school bus when she decides to add to their group with a stowaway kitten. Then more passengers climb aboard, each with a story and friendship to share. Then Coyote gets some news and realizes that she has to get home, and has to figure out a way of tricking her dad into taking there. What follows is a folksy adventure about the importance of family and friends, of caring about the things your loved ones love, about saying goodbye sometimes, and at other times, not saying goodbye. It's a really touching story and Coyote is a character readers will root for. If you've enjoyed any of the books by Ingrid Law, Summer of a Thousand Pies or the upcoming Dear Sweet Pea, you'll like this story with a strong girl in the lead.

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This is my kind of book. Beautifully written and a great plot. It made me cry numerous times as I rooted for Coyote and her dad to work through their grief.

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I absolutely adore all things Dan Gemeinhart and he did not disappoint. This is a make you laugh and then bawl your eyes out book. Coyote is such a brave, dynamic, and determined character. Along on her journey, she picks up an entertaining ensemble of characters each with their own story and problem. Together they form a new family and help Coyote and her father revisit the past even if it is a painful one.

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Running away from sorrow in a effort to forget, doesn't work, but the memory box buried in a park that about to be demolished, is the impetus behind a 4 day race from Florida to to Washington State... in a converted school bus. Along the way they pick up new friends, all who with life events involving “goodbyes”. Character driven with a strong plot as good as everyone says.

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Ranks up there with the best middlegrade realistic fiction I've ever read. Unforgettable from start to finish.

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Life is a journey both figuratively and literally for a father who goes by the name Rodeo and his daughter (called Coyote Sunrise) whose lives become entangled with those of complete strangers as they travel across country in a bus that also serves as their home. Coyote sneaks a kitten on to the bus and determines to get Rodeo to allow the kitten to stay. The direction of the bus and of their lives change as they meet and then invite people, each with his or her own personal baggage, to travel with them after answering three simple questions. Her grandma gives her a call that leads to another mission for Coyote, one that she feels she can’t tell her dad what it is truly about, even though she needs his help to drive her there to complete it. She enlists other help unintentionally from travelers they host on the bus just by the truth of her story and undertaking. There is a race to the finish and this dramatic tail unfolds as each of them examines their own goals in life, confronts their own issues, and discovers their own true selves.

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I ugly cried in this book. This book may trend toward girls reading it, but it is a heartwarming (and yet also heartbreaking. This book is about Coyote Sunrise and her father Rodeo, who travel the country in Yager, a big yellow run down school bus. Coyote is not in school, and relishes her life on the road, but wishes for a little bit more stability than what is being offered to her. When Coyote starts coming to grips with the tragedy that happened to her and her father that caused this road trip, Coyote digs her stubborn heels in and makes Rodeo take a hard look in the mirror.

This book was definitely heartbreaking at the same time it was heartwarming. There are animals, friendship, road trips, all the makings of a great American Novel.

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My first Dan Gemeinhart book was a total winner! Coyote’s and Rodeo’s love for each and grief for their lost family was so real it took my breath away (especially Ch. 36 ). Coyote had such a distinctive, memorable voice throughout that rang true with every word. These characters will stay with readers long after they finish reading the last page. A 5-star book for sure!

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I am a sucker for a beautiful book cover and this one has a great one. It also has a great title, which pulls you right in. Well-written and heartfelt. I would not be surprised to see this title on many "Best Of" book lists for 2019.

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Coyote and Rodeo think they are running away, but what they really discover is that everyone has secrets, wonderings, and memories. On their journey, they encounter a myriad of characters all destined to sort out their own circumstances. Emotions run as wild as the "brakeless" Yager the bus. Highly enjoyable middle-grade novel.

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This is a delightful, touching book about a young woman and her father on a perpetual road trip. The father-daughter relationship is relatable and real as are the father's difficulty with staying in one spot due to his past. But his daughter longs for friendship, even beyond the cat she sneaks on to the bus they travel in.

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I loved this book so much! I definitely expect to see this talked about seriously during awards discussions!

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Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC for this one in exchange for an honest review.

I am such a fan of a motley crew and this book PROVIDES, friends. Motley crew, who you get to ride along with and feel the overwhelming feelings in life with- both the painful and the beautiful ones.

Coyote was a winner of a character, her opening and introductory scene is fantastic and hooked me into this story for the long haul. My only complaint could be about the predictability of the cast of characters that ultimately came to be but I personally enjoyed the lot and properly diverse mix we got! I felt so happy with a good pluralistic idealism situation. My actual only complaint would be that the beginning was SO strong that it made it hard to keep up that level of strength, and the last bit of the book wasn’t quite as strong for me.

That being said, this one provides the heart-wrenching and melancholy, while also providing tons and tons of heartwarming moments and overall an uplifting, ‘ease on down the road’ pulse. I devoured it. This book is shouting from the rooftops to be experienced with others because of its cast of characters and endless turns along the route. There’s so many ways to jump into discussion or extensions to think about. I would 110% choose this for a class read aloud or a book group. This is the newer version of a great road trip story ala Walk Two Moons, and I cant wait for more folks to get to enjoyyy the ride! Get in board this school bus, it’s super good!

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Coyote is so full, of heart! I love how she and Rodeo take people with them on their trek across the US, creating a road family. The notion that people should help each other on their life journey is powerfully portrayed here.

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