Home Away from Home
by Cynthia Lord (Author)
From Newbery Honor Winner Cynthia Lord, a brilliant story about how to find home when everything around us is changing.
Mia and her mom visit Grandma in Maine every summer, but this year Mia is going alone. Her mom will stay behind to get their house ready to sell. It'll be a new start, she says, after the divorce.
Mia doesn't want a new start. She'd rather everything just stayed the same! At least things will be the same at Grandma's, though. Mia will walk to town for ice cream, and wait by the water, watching for birds, just like always.
Then Mia meets Grandma's know-it-all new neighbor, who's just her age. Cayman acts like he belongs at Grandma's house. He acts like he's the expert on everything. And when he and Mia spot an unusual white bird of prey, he acts like it's his job to find out what it is.
Unless, that is, Mia finds out first. And, in her effort to prove herself to him, she makes a decision that will change things for the town, for the bird, for Cayman, and even for herself. Can Mia stop what she's put into motion?
Acclaimed author Cynthia Lord, with her trademark sensitivity, weaves her love of nature with a profound reflection on what it means to be at home in a changing world.
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Kirkus
A coming-of-age tale told with tenderness and compassion.
Publishers Weekly
An 11-year-old leans into her passion for birding while navigating life changes in this heartfelt novel from Lord (Ivy Lost and Found). Mia looks forward to her first solo stay with her beloved grandmother in Stone Harbor, Maine, especially because it means she won't have to watch her mother prepare their Ohio house for sale before they move into a new place with Mom's boyfriend. But just as she's ready to settle into a month of extra attention and Grandma's familiar, relaxed rhythms--including regular walks to town for ice cream and looking out for eagles and seals--Mia's surprised to meet Miss Agatha, a mysterious stray cat in Grandma's yard, and new neighbor Cayman, a boy her age who knows his way around Grandma's kitchen and the local eagle nest. When Mia and Cayman spot a huge white raptor battling the eagles, Mia's mission to identify it ahead of Cayman sets off a frenzy that attracts an unwelcome overrun of strangers who disrupt the town she loves and endanger what turns out to be a rare white gyrfalcon. With a steady pace and a comforting tone, Lord skillfully weaves a message about respecting wildlife with themes of facing change into a tale of finding courage. Protagonists read as white. Ages 8-12. Agent: Tracey Adams, Adams Literary. (Apr.)
Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Review quotes
Praise for Because of the Rabbit:
2020 ALSC Notable Children's Book
* A young girl learns about honesty, integrity, and friendship... The beauty in Lord's tale of finding home in a new community is the way Emma's grandfather reaches her with his stories of magic even after he is gone, teaching her important lessons about following through on one's promises... Delightful. — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* Emma learns the rewards of patience and understanding the perspectives of others. [An] insightful story—lucidly written from the heart. — Publishers Weekly, starred review
* Lord uses clear, straightforward sentences to relate experiences in ways that speak directly to children. A heartfelt chapter book with broad appeal. — Booklist, starred review
JUV002040 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Birds
JUV039090 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | New Experience
Grandmothers
Neighbors
Maine
Wildlife rescue
Gyrfalcon
