Road Signs That Say West

Gr 8 Up—When their parents go away on a European adventure, three sisters, Hanna, Claire, and Megan, embark on a road trip across Canada from Halifax to Vancouver, from the east to the west coast. Stopping in various cities along the way, the sisters camp, swim, and make friends. Picking up hitchhikers, white water rafting, attending weddings, visiting monuments, and more are all on the agenda during the road trip. The girls all seem to have dramatic backstories, but Gunnery offers little detail about them, although there are realistic sibling rivalries and bickering. The book feels underdeveloped; the writing style is disconnected and not a lot is explained. The third-person narrator jumps around from character to character with no rhyme or reason, making the plot hard to follow. The characters have no substance. They are not fully developed and leave readers confused and wanting more.