Carry Me Home

(Hardback)

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A poignant and powerful reminder that homelessness is not hopelessness. Kirby Larson, author of Newbery Honor book Hattie Big Sky

Two sisters struggle to keep their fathers disappearance a secret in this tender middle grade novel thats perfect for fans of Katherine Applegate and Lynda Mullaly Hunt.

Twelve-year-old Lulu and her younger sister, Serena, have a secret. As Daddy always says, its best if we keep it to ourselves, and so they have. But hiding your past is one thing. Hiding where you liveand that your Daddy has gone missingis harder.

At first Lulu isnt worried. Daddy has gone away once before and he came back. But as the days add up, with no sign of Daddy, Lulu struggles to take care of the responsibilities they used to manage as a family.

Lulu knows that all it takes is one slip-up for their secret to come spilling out, for Lulu and Serena to be separated, and for the good things that have been happening in school to be lost.

But family is all around us, and Lulu must learn to trust her new friends and community to save those she loves and to finally find her true home.

Reviews

Finalist for the Texas Institute of Letters Deirdre Siobhan FlynnBass Award for Best Middle Grade Book of 2021
Selected for the 2022-2023 Main Student Book Award List
Selected for the 2022-2023 Florida Sunshine State Young Readers Award Master List for Grades 3-5
Shortlisted for Reading the West Book Awards 2022, Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association
A Bank Street Best Book of 2022
A poignant and powerful reminder that homelessness is not hopelessness. -- Kirby Larson, author of Newbery Honor book HATTIE BIG SKY
"A beautiful, haunting story that sucks you in and doesnt let go. Its a poignant reminder of the strength kids can possess when they realize theyre the only one holding their world together. I devoured it, breathlessly, and it carried my heart away with it." -- Ann Braden, author of THE BENEFITS OF BEING AN OCTOPUS
A story about falling through the cracks and finding the light inside that darkness. CARRY ME HOME is absorbing, moving, and deeply truthful. -- Martha Brockenbrough, author of THE GAME OF LOVE AND DEATH
Twelve-year-old Lulu must care for her little sister when they are left homeless and alone.

The girls father disappears one morning from the Chevy Suburban in which he, Lulu, and Selena live. Theyve been in an RV park in Montana since driving up from Texas, where the girls mother died after a devastating, financially ruinous illness. For two weeks, Lulu manages to keep up the routine (food bank, laundromat, and picking up Selena from her after-school program), fending off queries about her dad. The narrative focus stays tightly with Lulus point of view, her understanding of the world informing her decisions. Shes afraid to ask for help, believing that she and Selena will be separated if anyone finds out about their situation. Lulu, the target of the contempt of some classmates, is befriended by both Jack, a boy who persuades her to try out for the school musical, and the town librarian, who unwittingly provides a refuge. Fox offers a message via Jack when he learns about Lulus life: No one should have to live in a car. Cranespaper ones that Lulu and Selena fold, inspired by both the story of Hiroshima survivor Sadako Sasaki and the sandhill cranes migrationrepresent wishes granted and a kind of grace, leading to a satisfying, redemptive conclusion nicely pitched to a young audience. All the characters seem to be White.

Sobering and convincing. (author's note) -- Kirkus Reviews * June 15, 2021 *
After her mothers death, 12-year-old Lulu has been living in a run-down SUV with her younger sister, Serena, and their devastated father. Montana is a far cry from their familiar Texas, but theyve made it work, setting up camp in an RV park, spending days at school and work, and sleeping in the car at night. Dad promises better days ahead, but their precarious existence is upended when, one day, he fails to return home. An increasingly anxious Lulu carries on as usual, fearing sibling separation if anyone finds out. Waiting for her fathers return, she dodges questions and cares for Serena while navigating middle school and increasingly suspicious (but kind) townspeople. Foxs moving story is told in flashes of the Now, Before, and Way Before, slowly and affectingly filling in the familys history, as well as a detailed explanation of their situation. A reassuring but realistic ending encourages readers to ask for help when needed and emphasizes that there is always someone who will care. A compassionate and empathetic examination of being unhoused. -- Booklist * August 1, 2021 *

Author Bio

Janet Fox is an author, mom, outdoor enthusiast, and former teacher. Shes been to the bottom of the ocean in a submersible and had a brief fling with rock stardom. Her novels are written for children and young adults but have won her fans of all ages. Her gothic middle grade novelThe Charmed Children of Rookskill Castlehas received a whole bunch of stars and the lovely Crystal Kite Award. At the moment, shes sporting blue and pink stripes in her hair. She lives in Bozeman, Montana. Find out more at JanetSFox.com.