Cover Image: The Places We Sleep

The Places We Sleep

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Member Reviews

Unbelievably magnificent in every way. This novel was positively honest and truthful; perfect for a middle grade read as well as raising awareness towards young readers regarding the truth of reality, radiating messages of bravery and fearlessness.

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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!

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I find it hard to rate, as a Brazilian person, a book that is so deeply about 9/11. I was even younger than Abbie when it happened and even now it seems like there's so much behind it it's hard to talk about.
I loved the prose and how Abbie coming of age happens through the story. If this one is translated to Portuguese one day, I may buy it for the army kids I know. It's very beautfiul.

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'The places we sleep' is about twelve-year-old Abbey and how the 9/11 events affected her life and her family. The fact that this book is written in verse, makes it stand out among the rest. From the eyes of an innocent child, this book subtly mocks at the futility of the wars and shows how destructive they can be. It was such a beautiful read. It made me cry. I definitely recommend this book to all.

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This books is just so beautiful. The writing was beautiful,written in verse, getting to live through a couple of years of the life of Abbey and how the 9/11 attacks affected her life and those around her. I would recommend this book highly. It was also a quick read.

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The Places we Sleep is author Caroline Brooks DuBois debut novel in verse, centring around 12 year old Abbey after the events of 9/11. Following Abbeys family life, her fathers journey with the army, her mothers confrontation with grief, and her observations on racism within school, this book was very touching and sentimental, and gave a new perspective on the events of 9/11 through the eyes of a child. The writing for this book was poetic and very symbolic, not confronting the brutality of 9/11, but enough so for readers to draw conclusions. A beautiful story of friendship, family, grief, first loves and the racism that emerged in full form toward Muslim families during that time, I wish for only this book to be longer. Nonetheless, a great read that only takes a couple of hours to get through.

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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.

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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.

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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**

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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.

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