Something Like Home

Starred review from July 17, 2023
Latinx 11-year-old Laura Rodríguez Colón believes that it’s her fault she was separated from her parents and sent to live with her aunt, Titi Sylvia, a “rich perfect stranger” who resides on the other side of Laura’s Virginia county. If she hadn’t called 911, she thinks, her parents wouldn’t have been sent to rehab for substance reliance, and she wouldn’t be staring down the barrel of an uncertain future with Titi Sylvia, whose emotionally closed-off nature makes Laura feel isolated. Though she’d rather be with her parents, she’s elated when Titi Sylvia lets her keep the abandoned pup that Laura finds in town, which she names Sparrow. When Laura is told that she can’t visit her parents in rehab, she resolves to train Sparrow as a therapy dog, because “Children may not be allowed in Harmonic Way... but apparently therapy dogs and their owners/ are.” Laura’s improvised training seems to go well, until a disastrous event imperils her hard work. In moving, approachable verse, Arango (Iveliz Explains It All) thoughtfully portrays Laura’s guilt and the constant push-and-pull of her desire to be with her parents and her growing connection with Titi Sylvia. Abundant bird facts—which Laura learned on daily walks with her father—add sensitive insight into Laura’s interpretation of family and loyalty. Ages 10–14.

August 1, 2023
A powerful novel in verse about a girl coping after being ripped from her home. When 11-year-old Laura Rodr�guez Col�n calls 911 to save her parents from a possible overdose, authorities remove her from her home and place her into the care of Titi Silvia, her estranged aunt. Laura, who is Puerto Rican, resists "this borrowed life," anxiously awaiting the day her parents will be released from rehab. One day, she rescues a sick, abandoned puppy she names Sparrow, and he helps her feel better about everything. When the social worker informs her that children aren't allowed to visit the rehab center, Laura hatches a plan to train Sparrow to be a therapy dog and get inside that way. But when her parents leave without completing the program, Laura learns her stay with Titi may become permanent. Laura's distress increases when her mother shows up at school only to be sent away, leaving Laura torn between life with her aunt and love for her flawed parents. With the help of caring friends and adults, Laura learns that creating a new home doesn't have to mean discarding the old. The short sections written in accessible free verse create a segmented structure that mirrors Laura's experiences and drives the storyline. The clear narrative arc and strong symbolic system make the novel cohere, and Laura's emotional landscape is realistically contradictory. Arango's writing is a joy to read, combining strong storytelling, compelling characters, and rich language. Beautifully executed. (author's note) (Verse fiction. 10-14)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from September 1, 2023

Gr 4 Up-Everything in Laura's life is wrong, and it is all her fault. If she hadn't called 911, then the police wouldn't have found her parents on pills, and she wouldn't have been sent to live with an aunt she doesn't know while her parents are in rehab. Haunted by her guilt and lack of autonomy, Laura is struggling to find a place in a new school and in a house with rules she doesn't understand when she discovers an abandoned puppy and sets out to train him as a therapy dog. Maybe he will be the key to visiting her parents so she can apologize and they can all go home together. Extraordinarily honest and sensitive, this novel in verse tactfully and gracefully deals with foster and kinship care and some of the many emotions involved. Laura and her aunt are both Puerto Rican, although Laura doesn't speak fluent Spanish, and some simple Spanish phrases are included through their dialogue. The verse format and word choice make this a more accessible option than some other books on similar topics. Throughout the story, Laura learns to accept that her love for her parents does not make her responsible for their actions, and to allow herself to have space in her heart for all those who love and care for her. An author's note supplies more information for readers who are not familiar with foster/kinship care, as well as encouragement to those who have experienced it firsthand. VERDICT So much affirmation, exploration, and positivity for those in similar situations are packed beautifully into these verses, making it a solid addition to collections.-Emily Beasley

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 1, 2023
If only life were as straightforward as the Rubik's Cube that Laura loves to solve. When this Virginia-set verse novel begins, the Puerto Rican sixth grader is on her way to a kinship foster-care placement "on the other side of town" with her titi Silvia, whom Laura has never met. Pulled from her admittedly chaotic life with her parents, who are struggling with addiction, Laura copes with the overwhelming changes that a new caregiver, new rules, a new school, and new peers bring, while suffering with extreme feelings of guilt over making the 911 call that resulted in her parents' being placed in rehab. Laura finds purpose in training a dog she rescues near Titi's house to be a therapy animal; her plan is to bring the dog to the rehab facility so she can finally see her parents. Arango's writing is intimate and heartbreaking, tackling such hefty issues as cultural identity, addiction, the pain of displacement and the anxiety it causes, and the adulation and rationalization that a child in pain can offer to adults they love. Arango (Newbery honoree for Iveliz Explains It All, rev. 9/22) accomplishes this with the believable voice of a girl in crisis and by tapping into compassion for all the characters amidst moving scenes of joy and connection. Amanda R. Toledo

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from September 15, 2023
Grades 5-8 Laura Rodr�guez Col�n just wants to go home, but she made the decision to call 911, and now she's living with an aunt she didn't even know she had and learning the ins and outs of kinship foster care. Disgruntled by the situation, mad at herself, and longing for home, Laura stumbles upon someone who needs her just as much as she needs someone: a lost dog that, somehow, her aunt agrees to let her keep. Laura is certain that the dog, Sparrow, is going to be her ticket back to her parents as she trains him to be a therapy dog. At her new school, luckily, Laura is befriended by Benson, a boy fighting sickle-cell disease who happens to be a good trainer, and a great friend who doesn't judge her for her parents' addiction. Full of the author's signature heart-tugging verse, a character you just want to hug, and threads of friendship, family, and belonging, Arango's follow-up to her Newbery Honor debut is a triumph for readers who need comforting encouragement without having to ask for it.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2024
If only life were as straightforward as the Rubik's Cube that Laura loves to solve. When this Virginia-set verse novel begins, the Puerto Rican sixth grader is on her way to a kinship foster-care placement "on the other side of town" with her titi Silvia, whom Laura has never met. Pulled from her admittedly chaotic life with her parents, who are struggling with addiction, Laura copes with the overwhelming changes that a new caregiver, new rules, new school, and new peers bring, while suffering with extreme guilt over making the 911 call that resulted in her parents' being placed in rehab. Laura finds purpose in training a dog she rescues near Titi's house to be a therapy animal; her plan is to bring the dog to the rehab facility so she can finally see her parents. Arango's writing is intimate and heart-breaking, tackling such hefty issues as cultural identity, addiction, the pain of displacement and the anxiety it causes, and the adulation and rationalization that a child in pain can offer to adults they love. Arango (Newbery honoree for Iveliz Explains It All, rev. 9/22) accomplishes this with the believable voice of a girl in crisis and by tapping into compassion for all the characters amidst moving scenes of joy and connection.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)