A Song Called Home

by Sara Zarr (Author)

A Song Called Home
Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

From award-winning author Sara Zarr comes a story of the small moments that show us who we are, and how family is not just something you're part of, but something you make.

Lou and her family don't have much, but for Lou it's enough. Mom. Her sister, Casey. Their apartment in the city. Her best friend, Beth. It would be better if Dad could stop drinking and be there for her and Casey, and if they didn't have to worry about money all the time. But Lou doesn't need better--she only needs enough.

What's enough for Lou, however, is not enough for Mom. Steve, Mom's boyfriend, isn't a bad guy, he's just...not what Lou is used to. And now, he and Mom are getting married, and that means moving. Packing up life as they've known it and storing it in Steve's garage. Lou will be separated from everything in her small but predictable life, farther from Dad than ever.

Their last night in the city, Lou receives a mysterious birthday gift: A guitar, left for her by their front door. There's nothing saying who left it, but it must be from Dad. And as she leaves the only place she's ever known, she starts to believe that if she can learn how to play it, maybe she can bring a piece of him, and of her old life, home.

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Kirkus

Starred Review
A tender, honest, and beautifully written story about family, faith, and friendship.

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8--Fifth grader Louisa (Lou) Emerson struggles with her alcoholic father's departure from her family. Left to help her pick up the pieces is her older sister, Casey, who is either on her phone or angry most of the time. To complicate life even further, her mother is engaged to a man named Steve, who Lou isn't even sure she likes. On her birthday, a guitar mysteriously appears outside her apartment door. Convinced it's from her father, Lou is determined to learn to play it. As her emotions spiral out of control, she begins to steal things; little things that remind her that she still does have some power. On the day of her mother's wedding, Lou's dad shows up uninvited and intoxicated. Frustrated that she can't even hold a normal conversation with her transient father, and with attending a new school close to Steve's house, Lou's stealing ramps up and ends up hurting someone very dear to her. Things start to look up when she meets a neighbor who can teach her to play the guitar in time for the school talent show. As her playing improves, Lou is certain that when her dad hears her perform in the talent show, things will be better. VERDICT This coming-of-age novel tackles issues of alcohol dependence, stealing, puberty, divorce, and step-families. A solid addition to middle grade shelves.--Tracy Cronce

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

On her 11th birthday, fifth grader Louisa Emerson discovers a mysterious guitar on her San Francisco doorstep and, assuming it's a gift from her estranged father, decides to learn to play, hoping the action will bring the two closer. Though she misses her dad, Lou is comfortable with the "we" comprising herself, her mom, and her adored teenage sister, Casey, but everything changes when her mom suddenly marries Steve from their Christian church and the family moves from their tiny city apartment to Steve's suburban home. As sensitive, religious Lou strives to adapt to change in her newly affluent white family, she also worries about her dad, who lives with alcohol addiction; losing her close relationship with her best friend Beth, who is Chinese American; and her sister's unpredictable moods. As a way of coping, Lou begins to pocket small objects. This compassionate middle grade debut by Zarr (Goodbye from Nowhere) is rich in small, acutely observed moments (Lu and Beth suck on candy until it takes "the shape of the roof of their mouths" like a retainer) as well as complex and endearing characters. An exceptional, emotionally honest portrait of a tween navigating a blended family. Ages 8-12. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Feb.)

Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

This is a novel filled with the terrific joys of real life—as well as its disappointments. It is a novel about broken families, about healing families, and about completely new and surprising families. And above all, it is a novel that dares us all to hope.—Gary Schmidt, Newbery Honor-winning author of Okay for Now
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780063044920
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Balzer & Bray/Harperteen
Publication date
March 15, 2022
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039050 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Emotions & Feelings
JUV031040 - Juvenile Fiction | Performing Arts | Music
JUV013090 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Alternative Family
Library of Congress categories
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