When a family buys a house in a struggling town for just one dollar, they’re hoping to start over — but have they traded one set of problems for another?

Twelve-year-old Lowen Grover, a budding comic-book artist, is still reeling from the shooting death of his friend Abe when he stumbles across an article about a former mill town giving away homes for just one dollar. It not only seems like the perfect escape from Flintlock and all of the awful memories associated with the city, but an opportunity for his mum to run her very own business. Fortunately, his family is willing to give it a try. But is the Dollar Program too good to be true?

The homes are in horrible shape, and the locals are less than welcoming. Will Millville and the dollar house be the answer to the Grovers’ troubles? Or will they find they’ve traded one set of problems for another? From the author of Small as an Elephant and Paper Things comes a heart-tugging novel about guilt and grief, family and friendship, and, above all, community.

• A gripping and powerful new story with the same broad appeal as Small as an Elephant and Paper Things.
• A sensitive and at times humorous look at the aftershocks of tragedy, and the often harsh realities of economic downturn.
• Featuring more than a dozen illustrated "comic" panels, this is a great pick for reluctant readers, boy readers, and fans of comics and graphic novels.