#hardcover#family#fiction#roadtrip#ya#sarazarr#youngadult#teen#juvenilefiction#yafiction GEM & DIXIE tells the story of teen sisters who have developed their own ways of coping with neglectful parents. Gem, the older sister, takes on the role of watcher and caregiver for her sister and single mother. She listens for signs of alcohol or drug use in her mother's voice and keeps an eye on her sister. Dixie operates on hope with a little bit of grit, using her looks to get what she wants, such as much needed food and attention. Though close when they were little, the sisters have grown apart in their teen years. Dixie's popular and confident, while Gem's an anxious loner with no friends. When their manipulative, long-absent dad re-enters the picture, he unwittingly sets in motion an escapade for the girls. The two take off for a while, alternately reconnecting and fighting, trying to figure out where things went so wrong between them and how they can maintain their sanity living in an unstable home with absent parents. They struggle with wanting to believe their family can turn things around vs. accepting that some people are messed up and you have to do what you can to save yourself. The story highlights how kids suffering from neglect can be easily overlooked by those who are supposed to help them.