You can't always decide where life will take you--especially when you're a kid. Carlie knows she's got no say in what happens to her. Stuck in a foster home with two other kids, Harvey and Thomas J, she's just a pinball being bounced from bumper to bumper. As soon as you get settled, somebody puts another coin in the machine and off you go again. But against her will and her better judgment, Carlie and the boys become friends. And all three of them start to see that they can take control of their own Iives. Carlie knows she's got no say in what happens to her. Stuck in a foster home with two other kids, Harvey and Thomas J, she's just a pinball being bounced from bumper to bumper. As soon as you get settled, somebody puts another coin in the machine and off you go again. But against her will and her beter judgement, Carlie and the boys become friends. And all three of them start to see that they can take control of their own lives. Notable Children's Book of 1977 (ALA)

1977 Children's Book Award (CSA)

Best Books of 1977 (SLJ)

Notable 1977 Children's Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)

Children's Books of 1977 (Library of Congress)

International Year of the Child Special Hans Christian Andersen Honors List (IBBY)

1980 William Allen White Award (Kansas)

1980 Mark Twain Award (Missouri Library Association)

1980 California Young Readers Award

1982 Golden Archer Award (Wisconsin)

1978-79 Georgia Children's Book Award

1980 Charlie May Simon Children's Books Award (Arkansas)