Allie and Bea, an endearing novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde, held my rapt attention from beginning to end.

Bea, a crusty widow in her seventies, was already hard-up for money when a scammer cleans out her bank account. With no one to turn to, she takes a few belongings, her ancient cat Phyllis, and packs them into her late husband’s old bakery delivery van. She is officially homeless, with only a small monthly Social Security check that will be automatically deposited into her bank account. She sets out, not really having a plan nor destination.

Allie, fifteen, has what many people would consider a perfect childhood. Her family lives in a lovely Pacific Palisades home. Her life is ideal until her parents suddenly, in the middle of the night and before Allie’s eyes, are arrested for tax fraud, handcuffed and taken away. A case worker takes Allie to a group home, since she has no relatives that can take care of her. Unfortunately, Allie’s roommate at the group home is a mean, violent girl, whom other girls avoid. Fearing for her life, Allie escapes only to find her next situation even worse. She barely manages to run away from this latest threat.

Bea and Allie meet on the road. They join forces, tell people they’re “Grandmother and Granddaughter on vacation,” but their relationship isn’t at all harmonious. Bea is set in her ways, has never had children, and finds Allie annoying. Allie’s life is complicated. She’s been a vegan since she was nine years old—she simply can not eat what Bea calls food. But co-existence is the necessity now and the two begrudgingly make the most of their precarious situation. They manage by cunning, a few “shady deals,” and relying on the generosity of strangers.

With effort, Bea and Allie find ways to get along as they drive up the West Coast, both fascinated by the mighty Pacific Ocean. They find a degree of companionship as they strive to merely exist. But of course, this tenuous relationship can’t last and when their world crashes, they learn what they have meant to each other.

I loved Allie and Bea. Catherine Ryan Hyde shows depth in her characters, vividness in the scenery as they travel north, and knowledge about how law authorities work for teens whose parents can no longer care for them. I would recommend this book for any reader interested in human dynamics, and especially for teens who might wonder what it’s like “being on your own.”