Looking for the titile and author of a young adult fiction book, paperback, published late 1970s or early 1980s, approx. 200 pages. The book’s title could be similar to “Keeping It All Together.” The story likely was set in the 1970s to early 1980s, England/United Kingdom or another country using pounds instead of dollars. I read it around 1983-85.
After a 17 year old girl’s parents die in a auto accident, she toils to keep her orphaned younger siblings together, counting the days until her 18th birthday when she can become their legal guardian. The story chronicles her struggles to survive with scarce funds and keep her siblings, their school work, home and run-down car from falling apart – all while avoiding the government social services inspector, who threatens to split the siblings up into separate foster homes.
The orphans secretly take care of themselves, while keeping up the appearance that an adult relative is helping them. Some of the children’s names might be Maggie or Jenny and one of the brothers may have gotten into trouble. The run-down car they use might be an old van, and the teen girl may have a befriended a young man who assists with auto repairs.
It’s possible the book’s cover art has a soft pastels/watercolor illustration of the family with a light yellow van parked outside their house on a residential street in England or Ireland.
