Home Away from Home

By: Cynthia Lord

Libby ebook 24 chapters plus "about the author"

Published: 2023

Genre: YA realistic fiction

I really like this author, but this title didn't do it for me. There were big themes - change, home, birds, belonging, technology use. For some reason, it felt a little too formulaic to me. It's definitely written for an older elementary school child or a young middle schooler. Mia, the protagonist, is spending time in Maine with her grandma. Mia's mom and boyfriend are finding a new house and selling the one Mia has grown up in. But grandma has a new neighbor and Cayman comes over to spend time with her. Mia is definitely put out.

Chapter 1: Grandma didn't like to plan ahead, so I didn't have a schedule at her house.

Sounds perfect! It's great to do what the day brings for you instead of being heavily scheduled.

Chapter 1: While I was in Maine, vanilla was still my favorite.

 

Mia actually likes chocolate chip ice cream better now, but agrees to vanilla because that was her favorite in kindergarten and she's never told grandma that her tastes have changed. This theme of familiarity and not being truthful come up throughout the story.

Chapter 2: Grandma was the only person I didn't have to share with anyone else. 

I'm not sure why I highlighted this. Joshua is fairly good about "sharing me" with Benjamin, but he definitely prefers full attention.

Chapter 4: I loved them both, and I hated being in the middle. Even though there was nowhere else for me to be.

It saddens me that so many kids have to spend emotional energy making sure their parents are okay in a divorce. Ugh! Mia is aware that she needs to text news to both parents so that one doesn't feel left out or less important. I know that there are kids who are most definitely caught in the middle.

Chapter 6: I turned my phone completely off so it wouldn't distract me anymore.

There are lots and lots of technology "lessons" in this book. Phones are distracting, that's for sure!

Chapter 8: At home, we didn't go to church. But when we visited Grandma, we did. I'd, been to Sunday services, bean suppers, and I'd even been baptized there, though I didn't remember it.

Oh! I'm so glad Grandma took them to church, but sad that it was such a small part of Mia's life (and her parents' lives). How many kids don't have church and faith as part of their lives?

Chapter 9: "It takes a lot to surprise a librarian," Grandma said. "They hear it all."

I love that the librarian was a wonderful resource! And yes, it's wild how much one hears in an information based career.

Chapter 13: I felt awful that I'd caused all this. I wanted to fix things, but I didn't know how to even start. I hadn't meant to, but I'd set something in motion that was gaining speed all on its own now.

Poor Mia! She had posted on the bird website to gain understanding but inadvertently set things in motion that got out of control.

Chapter 14: And just because you've moved in doesn't mean you belong.

Again, this theme is repeated. It refers to Cayman living in the little town in Maine, the gyrfalcon in the cove, Miss Agatha the cat in Grandma's garden, and Mia.

Chapter 16: "But here's something I've learned in life, Mia. You can't always undo that hurt. And not everything can be fixed. But there are always two things you can do."

"What are they?" I asked.

"The first is that you can try to make it right," he said. "You're already doing that by helping her."

"What's the second thing?"

"You can learn from it," he said. "Would you do things differently if it happened again?"

Mia is talking with Warden Cooper, who has come to help rescue the injured bird. Their conversation is another of those big lessons in the book.

Chapter 17: As Grandma always said, the last step of any job is cleaning up.

And that's true, even for mistakes.

I love that Grandma's catch phrase is ingrained in both Mia and Cayman! Cleaning up - definitely an important step in any job.

Chapter 22: Change is always hard in the middle, but you can't skip that part. You have to go through it to come out the other side.

Mia finally gets to the part where she tells Grandma all the things she's been holding in. Besides finally "coming clean," she feels an immense amount of relief in not holding on to this any more.

Chapter 23: Wondering ate away at you. It kept you stuck, spinning like a leaf in a whirlpool, unable to move on.

 

Yes! Resolution is liberating. Sometimes I don't care what the answer is; I just want an answer and to move on. This leaf in a whirlpool image is a good one.