In A Handful of Dust: Mindy McGinnis

This was another fabulous book by Mindy McGinnis and the sequel to "Not a Drop to Drink". Lynn Raises Lucy and life is good until Polio suddenly appears in what is now a small community near their pond. Lucy's grandmother finds the source of illness, Lucy's boyfriend is a carrier, but isn't sick. They banish him from the community and Lynn, knowing Lucy has always wanted a normal life, takes off on foot to take Lucy to California. Lynn finds Carter following them and kills him to ensure Lucy won't get sick. The travel across the country nearly kills them both, but they get to Sand City. Lucy loves the town and the purpose, but Lynn is homesick and at the end of the book is leaving by herself to head back to Ohio to her home.