I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This is a moving and beautifully written poetic story about a young girl on her journey to womanhood who is from a military family who move around a lot. This is about the 9/11 attack on the twin towers in America and how it affected the world and how it touched her life in particular. Its also about friendship and finding out who you are and finding your voice about what you believe in.

This book is such a beautiful read .

Abbey is a shy twelve-year-old who moved with her military father and mom to Tennessee in 2001. As she navigates the challenges of being at a new school she must also confront obstacles she never thought about before. Small one’s like bullies, friends, and periods. Big ones like the September 11th terrorist attacks, her Aunt missing from the twin towers, and her father being sent to Afghanistan. This can be all too much for a pre-teen to handle but she has her new friends Camille and Jacob to help her navigate as well as her love for drawing. In the end, Abbey understands this new place where she sleeps and cherishes the importance of family, friends, and standing up for what you believe is right.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The life of an adolescent during the time of the September 11th attacks. Many of us remember that moment in history and how it impacted the world around us. While the attacks are not the whole reason for the story I do believe that this incident (being the backdrop) really provides a unique perspective of a pre-teen army brat who is navigating her own life during this time. I do feel that this book should be read with a parent as some context might be needed as well as understanding of the significance of the September 11th attacks.

Two important topics that don’t get in books often enough. Well written and perfect for grades 5 & up.

Man who doesn't love books in verse? They cut through all the BS and give you only the guts and meat and meaning and leave you to fashion your truth with it. Such is the case with Caroline Brooks DuBois' The Places We Sleep. She gives us the story of Abbey, a young girl learning how to be comfortable with herself, how to make friends and how to navigate young womanhood in the aftermath of September 11th. Not only does Abbey's family have to deal with personal loss from 9/11 but they also have to deal with being a military family and deal with being a one parent household during a deployment.

I greatly enjoyed DuBois' work. I feel as though a lot of my students will be able to identify with Abbey's struggles to make/maintain friendships. I can think of a few students in particular that would identify with Abbey being better able to express herself through her art than her words. I especially like how the relationship between Abbey and Jiman unfolded.

This book was beautiful and everything I hoped it would be when I requested it.
The writing is so well written. I loved learning about the life of Abbey and the 9/11 attacks affected her life and those around her.
This was a quick read that I would recommend to anyone, not just young adults.

Thanks to Netgalley for my advanced ebook copy.

First sentence: It arrives like a punch to the gut like a shove in the girls’ room like a name I won’t repeat. It arrives like nobody’s business, staring and glaring me down, singling me out in the un-singular mob that ebbs and flows and swells and grows in the freshly painted, de-roached hallways of Henley Middle.

Premise/plot: The Places We Sleep is a coming-of-age novel set during the school year 2011/2012 starring a young girl named Abbey. The novel opens with a few surprises--she gets her first period AND the terrorists attack the Twin Towers in New York City. Her mom rushes away to be with her family. Abbey's Aunt Rose works at the World Trade Center, she has two kids and a husband. They will need all the support they can get as the search begins...and ends...BUT Abbey needs her mom too. The novel is told in VERSE and it covers September through May as the nation--and Abbey--undergo some big changes.

My thoughts: Every one has a story of where they were when they first heard the news, this is Abbey's story. (It is fictional). It chronicles Abbey's life as she processes and absorbs this new world all while balancing the typical changes that come from growing up. It tackles friends, bullies, school, home, discovering yourself, etc.

I was not in middle school when 9/11 happened. I was in college, but I very much remember how shocking and disturbing the news was. Also how it continued to impact lives even months, years later. I would recommend this one.

I just finished this beautiful novel in verse. One line that I’m lingering on is, “I question a world where doing the right thing means giving up the things you love.” Caroline’s author’s note really resonated with me too, “I now recognize that bringing a human being into the world is a courageous act of hope.” I could not agree more. In this novel, Abbey is faced with all the normal trials of middle school, living in a new town, searching for an aunt who worked in the twin towers, & a father who is deployed to Afghanistan. Middle school students will appreciate this novel, and it will be a glimpse into life during 9/11.

A really great story, written in verse, about how 9/11 affected people across the US! It is a heartfelt story about growing up, surviving middle school, grief, guilt, and fear of losing someone you love. I did not expect to like this as much as I did, and the way the text is built really helps to display Abbey's feelings and thoughts, as well as bring more depth to the story. I especially liked how grief was handled and displayed in this!

The Places We Sleep by Caroline Brooks Dubois

Read: May 29th, 2020

PROCEED WITH CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD.

"I have a captive audience and i've forgotten how to speak. And the sound of my own voice out loud in the classroom is terrifying."

What i liked: The prose was beautiful. The story line and the hard aspects of racism and military was really unique in a children's book that i haven't really seen before. Having a children's book set during the world of 9/11 and having this child have her first period while also trying to process what has happened in her world was really interesting.

I think the only thing i didn't like about this book was how short it was. I wanted there to be a snippet of her family grieving and processing what happened to her Aunt. I saw the ribbon tree as Abbey's way of doing that but i would have liked to also see her mom's way of coping. I mean, she lost her sister. I wanted to know what she was doing to cope with that while also coping with her husband off at war as well.

Overall, i liked the writing style. I just wish it would have been a bit longer page wise.

This story centers on the life of Abbey, a 7th grader who gets her period for the first time on the same day that 911 happens in New York. Abbey, although a very gifted artist, is an insecure, self conscious adolescent, who has moved around for her entire life as the child of an enlisted father. This book allows us a look into the windows of her mind as she struggles to make sense of the loss of her aunt with the falling of the twin towers, the deployment of her father to Afghanistan, and the struggle to make new friends and feel a sense of belonging. The book is written as a novel in verse, which is sometimes a little confusing, but generally, very engaging and relatable. It is a story that most middle school girls can relate to, especially in the area of friendships, "mean girls," belonging and family.

The cover is beautiful, but I feel that it could be a little bit more mature to appeal to the target audience.


4 star read!

**Thankyou Netgalley and publisher for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for a honest review**

A family divided, a country going to war, and a girl desperate to feel at home converge in this stunning novel in verse.

What a beautifully written verse novel. It was so lovely to read. The book is about a young girl who is growing up and dealing with all of the issues that children go through. However, the book is also set during 9/11 and discusses the fear and trauma that everyone experienced during that time. The story was tender, emotional and lovely. The cover is beautiful, but I feel that it could be a little bit more mature to appeal to the target audience.