There are a few things that make a really good book: a loyal friendship that grows deeper as the story goes on, at least two deep conversations that make you laugh and tear up, and intense urge to keep going, keep reading, but being left with a bittersweet feeling after finishing, wishing you were still in the story. Dan Gemeinhart hits all these points in his novels, and his aim is even better when it comes to the character of Coyote Sunrise.  

I first met Coyote, her dad, Rodeo, and the bus dubbed Yager when I was in middle school, after, somewhat randomly, grabbing the book in a store, having recognized Gemeinhart’s name from his debut novel, “The Honest Truth.” It quickly became one of my all-time favorites, most re-read, and main recommendation for friends.  

Part of my love for Gemeinhart’s books comes from his Washington roots. It’s fun hearing and seeing places you recognize in his novels, as Gemienhart is known for having all his books take place in Washington state.  

Though I’ve surpassed middle grade age when it comes to reading, it will forever be one of my favorite book-ages, and reading them every once in a while still proves to be rewarding. (Just take inspiration from the wise words of C. S. Lewis – “Some day you’ll be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”)  

The story of the first book follows Coyote and her dad’s journey across America after the two experienced great loss. Rodeo’s plan is to leave it all behind, to run away from the sadness. Coyote, originally on board, realizes running away from sadness does not always work, and when she hears that a beloved park from her hometown is being torn down, with something very important buried there, she urges Rodeo to head back to Washington state, without him really knowing why.  

In the sequel, Coyote and Rodeo board the bus again, this time to spread the ashes of Coyote’s mother. The thing is, Coyote’s mom wrote where she wanted her ashes to be spread in her favorite book, a book of Mary Oliver poems, and Coyote lost that book. Once again Coyote has to trick Rodeo, and the two embark on a new journey across the states looking for Coyote’s mom’s book. 

I preordered the Coyote sequel, surprised there was a part two, and received it last week on my doorstep. I read the whole thing on the airplane ride back from a trip I took later that week, where I could look out the airplane window and contemplate Coyote and Rodeo’s journey as I saw the earth below me, pondering the states they went through and the states I was flying over. 

Coyote took a similar journey from the first book in the sequel. A secret that motivated her trip, a few coming-of-age moments with her best friend Salvador, and a cast of characters that boarded Yager and cheered Coyote on through an emotional climax, that, like the first one, funnily enough, ended in a park. 

The new setting of the beginning of COVID was a surprise to me, but it gave Coyote reason to be able to leave school for an extended period of time, which backed the story. I loved seeing Salvador again, because I felt it would not have been a Coyote adventure without him, and I loved the new cast of characters that befriended our fierce lead. 

The book tackled similar themes as the first one: grief, friendship, and family. Gemeinhart is known to be a talented writer, but the way he weaves these themes into the storyline, with subtle nuance and an unmatchable first-person perspective from Coyote surpasses talent. The relationship between Coyote and her dad is a big motivator for the emotional aspects of the book, and I felt their connection had developed nicely since the first book and in need of the right amount of growth for a sequel. I enjoyed Coyote’s reason this time around for her trip, as I felt it rounded out the closure from the first journey. Like the first book, I will be highly recommending it to others, and, as a chronic re-reader, I cannot wait to journey through Coyote’s once-upon-a-time again in the near future.