SKINNY BONES AND THE WRINKLE QUEEN by Glen Huser

At 15, Tamara has survived the foster care system through brains, will, and attitude. Now close to getting out, she dreams of being a model. First, though, there’s high school to get through, along with her teacher’s latest community project — volunteering at the local seniors home. Tamara doubts she can endure either the residents or the smells.

Then she’s assigned to — a cranky, wealthy, and extremely frail former schoolteacher. As the two warily size each other up, they realize each is the key to achieving their own very different goals. Miss Barclay wants to attend Wagner’s Ring Cycle in Seattle — a trip doctors insist she’s too weak to undertake. Tamara wants to enroll in modeling school in Vancouver — an expense she can’t begin to afford. Daringly, they plan the road trip of a lifetime — but can these two bossy, manipulative women keep from throttling each other before their goals are realized?

**Description taken from Amazon because it's a much better than one I would write.**

I picked this book up on a whim and in the end it was satisfying. I say in the end because the first half of the book is rather slow. It's mostly Jean and Tamara planning their trip. They don't actually leave for Seattle until almost three quarters of the way through. Teenagers might find the pace a little too slow and quit reading, which would spoil a great ending.

The suspence is held throughout the last act, with Tamara wondering when her foster family will figure out she's not really at Jean's house, but in Vancouver. Will Jean get thrown in prison for kidnapping? Do people her age even get thrown in jail?

The plot could have used some work, but the characters are what bring the story to life. Both women are opinionated and loud mouthed, and have their own flaws. Their personalities clashed, and they argue throughout most of the book. Still, it was interesting to see the differences in age, physical abilities, and personality, and yet they work together to achieve a common goal.

The chapters switch between Tamara and Jean's point of view, so the reader knows what one character is thinking about the other. I thought this was well done and I liked seeing the reactions of both characters.

Maybe I was disappointed because I was expecting another road trip novel (after reading Hit the Road by Caroline B. Cooney) when the story is really about two women coming together despite their differences. If you like a book with strong characters, read this one, just don't expect an overly exciting plot.