NO PLACE LIKE HOME by James Bird gets a starred Booklist review!
Twelve-year-old Opin (Ojibwe), his mother, Inde, and his angry and troublesome older brother, Emjay, who has a habit of disappearing at the wrong time, are homeless and living in their car. Their goal is to drive from Sacramento to Watts, where Inde’s brother lives, in the hopes that he might help them. But he's an alcoholic who's "a bit off." In the meantime, they move from city to city, one step ahead of the police and Child Protective Services, staying in shelters if they’re lucky. This enrages Emjay, whose default emotion is anger and whom Opin often fears. Things ease a bit when Opin finds an abandoned puppy, names it Ani, and adopts it. Opin has fantasies of being a warrior brave, riding a pinto horse (their car is a Pinto) accompanied by Ani, (who he imagines is a wolf) until Emjay snarls, “Grow up. . . . This is real life. . . . There’s no happy ending.” Is he right? Will the family reach Watts? James Bird, who has been homeless and is of Ojibwe descent, writes with rare authority, insight, and compassion that invites deep empathy from readers. He has done a beautiful job of creating an unforgettable family, who, as Inde says, “may be broke, but we’re not broken.”
— Michael Cart
