This was a really sweet and short read. I read it in about an hour and it honestly made smile and even almost cry at the end. If you're looking for a nice read that might bring tears to your eyes then this is the book for you. The only issue I had with the book was that I wished it was a tiny bit longer and the scavenger hunt had been a little more elaborate than what it was (though seeing as the characters are around 12 years old it makes sense that it would not be anything too big). Overall, this is just a good book that is perfect for almost any reader.

Seven Clues to Home is an emotional story about Joy and Lukas. These two best friends create scavenger hunts on each other's birthdays. As Joy turn thirteen, she celebrates her first birthday without Lukas. He died last year on her birthday. Because of that, she never went on the special scavenger hunt he created for her. Instead, she had been holding on to the first clue for the past year and decides to follow the clues to see where they lead. This story is told in Joy's point of view in the present time and Lukas's point of view in the past. The story shows their friendship with one another and how they truly feel for one another. This book will hit you in all the right feels.

Thank you to the authors, publisher, and NetGalley for a chance to read and review this title.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of SEVEN CLUES TO HOME by Gae Polisner and Nora Raleigh Baskin in exchange for my honest review***”

Today is Joy’s birthday and exactly one year since her best friend Lukas died. This year, her thirteenth birthday, will be the first since second grade without him. There’ll be no new scavenger hunt, an annual tradition they shared. She does have the first clue from last year, one she never got to read.

Told in both Joy’s and Lukas’s first person points of views, Lukas from the past and Joy the present, SEVEN CLUES TO HOME takes readers through Joy’s quest, and through her grief as she searches for clues.

I loved both Joy and Lukas, smart, funny and kind kids. Lukas’s older brother has a “bad reputation”, but seems like a typical teenager with an appropriate level of rebellion and boundary testing. The death of Lukas’s father, his alcoholic stepfather and their low income status add dimension to his life experiences. I appreciated that writers Gae Polisner and Nora Raleigh Baskin avoided the trope of the abusive or mean alcoholic stepfather as substance abusing parents are often portrayed in children’s literature. Joy didn’t feel much joy since her best friend’s death yet she had enough love to share with her adoring younger siblings, which couldn’t have been easy while grieving.

I read SEVEN CLUES TO HOME in one sitting, lamenting that no one ever made me a scavenger hunt. The clues were difficult enough not to be simple, yet they were solvable and made sense.

SEVEN CLUES TO HOME is a great addition to libraries and classrooms. I hope Gae Polisner and Nora Raleigh Baskin decide to write a sequel about Joy’s life moving forward.