Foster Care Teen

Carl knows he's playing with fire every time he fixes up a stolen car stereo to resell. But he needs the money; how else is he going to get away from his boozing mom and her endless parade of classy guys? Then one night his mother's drinking gets out of control and Carl's plan to get himself a decent life takes a nosedive. Sent to live with distant relatives far away from the life he has always known, Carl is faced with a decision: run away and stick with The Plan, or come up with a new one...fast.

Whitney has been in so many foster homes that she can give a complete rundown on the most common varieties of foster parents - from the look-on-the-bright-side types to those unfortunate examples of pure evil. But one thing she doesn't know much about is trees. This means heading for Foster Home number 12 (which is all the way at the top of the map of California, where there looks to be nothing but trees) has Whitney feeling a little nervous. She is pretty sure that the middle of nowhere is going to be just one more place where a hyper, loud-mouthed kid who is messy and small for her age won't be welcome for long.