Runaways — Zilpha Keatley Snyder

Dani O'Donnell is stuck in the middle of the desert, in 1951, in gruesome Rattler Springs, Nevada. She knows the desert hates her, and she hates it right back. All she wants to do is get home to California, but she and her mother are too broke to move. One day in April, just before her thirteenth birthday, Dani decides to run away. But before she can get anywhere, nine-year-old Stormy decides he's going too. Now Dani must find a way to pay for two bus tickets.

Dani and Stormy are busy earning money when Pixie moves to town. She is the strangest girl -- and the biggest liar -- Dani has ever met, but she's also rich. She wants to run away too, and she comes up with the money they need. Now Dani, Stormy, and Pixie must each face what running away will mean -- and the truth about why they need to run.