The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise

Best book I have read in a very long time. This story is so amazing and held my interest from the very first page. I so appreciate the author for writing such a wonderful book. Buy it...you will not regret it. 🩷

This book is not at all what I was expecting, though I couldn’t have told you what that was. My sister-in-law (who along with her family lived in Cashmere WA for most of her life, and I too know the area well) recommended it, and I wanted to support a local author. I had dragged my feet getting it because I mostly read clean romantic suspense these days. Also it is written for a middle school audience. Now I have great respect for children’s literature and there are many fine examples, but I just wasn’t looking for this genre. I have to say, this book bowled me over. Is far beyond Children’s Literature. It is poignant, bittersweet, sweet. You will laugh, out loud, cry, sigh. The quirky characters (even the animals), each with their own stories and the plot twists and turns are truly engaging. Truly, it is a beautiful work, profound in depths unexpected. You don’t have to be a middle schooler to appreciate this fine work.

THE REMARKABLE JOURNEY OF COYOTE SUNRISE By Dan Gemeinhart It’s rare that a YA novel can make this retired schoolteacher laugh out loud and smile on at least eight out of every ten pages!. It’s also rare that a YA novel can make this mother of three and Nana of four weep like a baby. But that’s the power of this story that follows the arc of a classic hero motif and with unforgettable characters (both human and animal) fleshed out into all 3 dimensions! Why didn’t this book not even earn a John Newbery Honorable Mention? What a shame! I am thinking that Mr. Newbery would roll over in his grave to think that Mr. Gemeinhart was passed up for this well-deserved medal! The first person narration via twelve-year-old Coyote is nothing short of masterful! The voice and the story shimmer and worm their way into the reader’s heart—I didn’t want the story to end! The novel would be a wonderful 5th through 7th grade class novel with ties to all subject areas. One bulletin board could be a U.S. map on which students keep track of Yager’s journey. Story problems could be written by the students themselves in learning how to calculate distance from place to place with the limited time factor and various speed limits. Students could learn how to read a map given coordinates and then have a scavenger hunt using a map to locate a treasure similar to Coyote’s hunt for her treasure box. Students could make their own Time Capsule. Students could keep a character map to help them analyze just how each character served as a “helper” to Coyote. Students could create a playlist of songs that match the plot of each chapter for Rodeo to play. I could go on and on. Needless to say, the book is rich in learning opportunities that span all subject areas. . The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise is my favorite novel so far this year! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!!

A delightful journey to follow along with Coyote and Rodeo, and their menagerie of characters that come into their lives! Kind of a modern day, once upon a time fairytale. I think just about everyone would enjoy it!

If I could rate this book a trillion stars, I would. Holy moly this was amazing. I have been reading some good middle-grade for Middle-Grade March, and this was my next to last. Honestly, I hate that I waited all month to read it, but also happy I went out with a BANG because this book was everything I had been waiting for in a book. EVERYTHING! Ok, so here's what it's about: After the death of her two sisters and mother, Coyote and her dad, Rodeo abandoned their real names and their life in WA for a life on the road aboard a refitted school bus. When Coyote discovers that her childhood park is going to be torn up, and the memory box she buried with her sisters and mother lost forever, she embarks on a journey home from somewhere in Florida. Along the way, they pick up some travelers: Lester, who is going to see his girlfriend in Idaho, Salvador and his mom who are trying to get to the midwest for a new life, and Val, who is heading toward Seattle after being kicked out of her home for being gay. Along with a cat named Ivan and eventually, a goat named Gladys, they all find themselves caught up in Coyote's mission to come face to face with her tragic past. First off, Coyote's voice is just amazing. She is confident and sassy and caring and everything I love in a protagonist. Her dad, Rodeo is equally as amazing which made this duo one I would follow to the ends of the world. The cast of colorful characters they meet add so much to the story that I could not put the book down. I had to know what was going to happen lest I fall over and die from agony. Normally, I am not very vocal when I am reading, but I found myself uttering a few ohs and ahs as I was reading and even grabbed myself some tissues. Because I was peeling onions, of course. Geez So, after I finished this book, I went on ahead and bought the entire library of Dan's. I might go on ahead and say that this was the nest book I have read in 2019. Buy it. Borrow it. Whatever you have to do. If you want a quirky, heartbreaking, yet happy middle-grade, this is the one.

ONE OF THE BEST KIDS BOOKS EVER! My daughters, 11 and 14, equally love this book. It is such an important story- Coyote is an incredibly relatable kid. She has an unusual life and a sad backstory. Through the roadtrip that is the plot of the book, we are taken down the road of her life- learning why she and her father live in a school bus, why they are constantly on the move, and what events brought them to this point. You will laugh- and cry!- out loud as Coyote's story unfolds. Every character who is introduced helps Coyote learn a little more about herself, and gets her a little closer to the life she wants to have. It's just a solid and satisfying book. So grateful to have found this author and looking forward to even more adventures with Coyote and Rodeo.

Fantastic Book! The story made me care, made me feel, engaged me, and made me miss the characters when I finished the book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was shocked when I found out it was in the middle grade genre because it engaged me so well that a children's genre never crossed my mind. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook. The narrator is fantastic and is the perfect voice for Coyote.

This was a gift but I understand it's a good story and that any age can relate to its "adventures." Book arrived timely.

Good one about grief and friendship 🧡🧡 and more words are needed for this review to be posted but highly recommend

It's a very very very very nice book, to be precise. Most children n adults don't even know in today's date what 'love' actually means. They just think it of the stuff they see in movies, which is not true. This book shows us what love really means, what family really means, what a good friend can do and many more things including a definition of 'magical feeling', which rang true to me. 😄 The protagonist, Coyote and her thoughts connect straight to heart. I once told this story to one of my friends and she was so happy to listen that she told me that she's really gonna spread this message of real meaning of love to all she knew. The way in which Coyote makes friends or judges people on the basis of their favourite book is really cool. This thing reflects the nature of the author too. Overall, a must recommended book for children as well as the adults.

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A beautiful story. My 10 yo granddaughter could not put it down.

Great book for teens. I read it with my daughter as a school assignment and we ended up buying the sequel by choice cuz the story is strong, emotional and poignant. The characters are lovable and u get attached to them fast. It’s a must for all.