The book follows our protagonist,a 11-year old during the times of the 9/11 attacks in 2001 in America.The book which deals with grief ,loneliness,longing and friendship is sure to stay with you for a long time.I especially loved the way of narration as it was narrated in such a unique way.I have no doubt that this book is going to be a smashing hit.It has an amazing in-depth meaning which drew me to this book. It has the power to move hearts and provoke thoughts.However,though the genre is said to be Middle Grade,I wouldn't really recommend the book for kids between 8-12 years as I find think they would find it kind of hard to understand.I would surely recommend it to all my book-loving friends.

This book does a good job of conveying the confusion and worry as the events of September 11th, 2001 unfolded to a school aged child. I was a little older than the main character (high school), and I remember feeling a lot of the same emotions, only with a little deeper understanding of the world and the gravity of what was happening. I think that as a middle schooler, the author hit the nail on the head of what would be going through a character that age's mind. Adding in the aunt who lives in the New York, the father who is an active military man, and the classmate and her family who are Muslim, this book stirred up a lot of what was going on at the time and conveyed it in an approachable and conversation inducing way. I really felt for the characters. Some of the lines were so beautifully worded and true that they made you pause and highlight, for they were not only relevant in the aftermath of 9/11, but are equally relevant in 2020 with all that's going on right now. Additionally, the aspects of the story relating to the character getting her first period give another significant insight into what it might be like to be a middle schooler in the midst of both worldly uncertainty as well as all the uncertainty that comes with puberty and hormones.

Abbey always feels the awkwardness of starting a new school. She knows all about being the new kid at school, the new kid in town. But when she begins a new school term and then suddenly her mother leaves for New York, Abbey is faced with a sense of loneliness and grief that she doesn't know how to explain. Tennessee seems a long way from the events of 9/11 but not when your aunt is one of the people missing after the attacks. No-one can take the place of her vivacious aunt and Abbey doesn't know what to say to her cousins and uncle when they visit later that year. Perhaps seeing her uncle break down and cry is the cementing of this new reality - she is growing up and this world is not as certain as it used to be.
Written in prose, Caroline DuBois captures the turmoil of grief and change as a nation reels from tragedy and as Abbey's family is directly affected. World events seem to coincide with Abbey saying goodbye to her childhood and realising that she is entering a new phase of her life.

I think this was a good coming of age story, honest about grief and being the new person, the challenge of making friends and big things happening but not having people to share it with.

"I'm in Mom's arms, / like when I was little, / and as I drift off, / I whisper
Goodbye
in my head / or maybe out loud / to 2001 / and tick off the year's life-changing events:
the year we moved to Tennessee,
the year of the terrorist attacks,
the year my period arrived,
the year Aunt Rose died,
and the year Dad left for Afghanistan.
When I wake, / Mom and the magic of the night / are gone."

This was such an impactful and beautifully written novel in verse. This story is told through the POV of a girl going through these personal life-changing events while the whole world goes through these huge events and tragedies and it is a really interesting way for a coming of age journey. I really liked Abbey's point of view and how she processed what was happening to her and her family in the way that you could really see her youthfulness beginning to develop into maturity.

The struggle she went through when it came to her father fighting in the war that she was seeing people she knew protest was another interesting aspect of this book. I could feel her anxiety and conflict with her dad and it was a really emotional experience to read the letters and phone calls between them, in addition to the silence that eventually occurred.

Everything with Abbey's mother and Aunt Rose was also heartbreaking. I was only 5 years old when 9/11 occurred, so I don't really remember much from when it actually happened, but I've been to the memorial and of course seen shows about it on TV. I can't imagine what it would have been like for the families who had people missing/killed/deployed because of and during all of this.

I loved the ending and the overall sense of hopefulness that Abbey will be able to continue to figure out who she is and become the confident girl that she wants to be, while the world around her slowly heals as well.

I love a good novel in verse; especially one that cover so many themes to discuss in my classroom. I even more love the premise of the story being set around 9/11. As much as that day is so vivid in my mind, my students have no idea. This story is a great way to explain the emotions of those students who didn’t leave in or near NYC, but how it effected us all then and how it still is today. There are so many great talking points in the story that all students experience whether it’s a catastrophic, tragic national event, or a day in middle school - it will be relative to everyone. Well done.

I somehow added this on and didn't realize, but that's okay. I normally wouldn't have chosen a book at this topic since it's meant for younger ages, but it was still a cutish, heavy read that deals with a lot of controversy. From 9/11, to Islamophobia, to military families to becoming an adult and also friendships all in between.

It was a quick read and I think is important for the younger years to read because it focuses on a lot of issues that they could relate to. Would I normally read this? No, because it’s not meant for an adult, but I think teens would enjoy this a lot.

This book is about Abby, a girl on the cusp of womanhood on the day of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Her aunt dies in NYC, causing her mom to leave to help take care of her sister’s family. Her dad is in the Army and deploys shortly after 9/11 for Afghanistan. Abby struggles with her changing body, crushes, her art, grief and the absence of her dad physically, as well as her mom emotionally. This book attacks a lot of themes such as Islamophobia after a turbulent time in our nation’s history and it’s a verse novel, which will be an instant favorite with many students. Thanks Netgalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

The story and the layout of this book is something that a lot of children would really enjoy.
The child that I babysit really enjoyed it and wanted me to give it 5 stars.

"The Places We Sleep" makes an enticing first impression. I found myself pondering the title as I admired the abstract and perhaps symbolic cover picturing a girl going to bed among the clouds and stars. From this onset, from the relevant, not revealing cover, one of the book's strengths shines: It draws you in with simplicity. This strength resonates and recurs through the book in effective and powerful ways. For instance, the presentation of the story in the form of short poems, I feel, really helps to draw the reader in, and invites them to consider events and moments as stand-alone works of art. Though written in verse, I would call it “serviceable” verse, in that it never seems overly formal, nor does it get in the way of the narrative; it’s a servant, not a centerpiece. Occasionally, readers will catch a rhyme here and there. Other times, they can just imbibe the story.
I am not sure whether it says more about the times or about my changing tastes and selections as a reader, but I don’t think I would have found such a book when I was in middle school. As a male, I’m not sure how I would’ve reacted almost two decades ago to reading a book that opens on its first page with a girl getting her first period, let alone on 9/11. However, reading Abbey’s story now, I am astonished at how similar my middle-school self and her are. I find her very relatable, because I was very art-focused and introverted as a middle-schooler; I was also in middle school when 9/11 happened.
Abbey begins her story as an insecure middle-schooler who has been dragged around the country as part of a military family, always leaving friends and places she slept behind. On the fateful day the novel opens, she learns that she is having her first period, planes have crashed into the Twin Towers in New York, and that a dear relative of hers is among the missing. From this security-shattering prelude, Abbey must find a way to cope with her bodily change into womanhood, the possibility of not being able to say her final goodbyes to a loved one, and the difficulties of being the “new kid” at yet another school. I am impressed by the novel’s treatment of Abbey’s reactions to these traumas, because the absurdity and sense of disconnection and isolation she experiences is, I feel, represented and honored. Though this story does not center around a Muslim-American, we do get a brief but sensitive glimpse, through the eyes and heart of Abbey, into what Muslim-Americans had to endure at that time (and still do to this day).
This story is realistic, so it is a bit heavy. It is also optimistic, and even triumphal, which is why I can strongly recommend it. Ultimately, Abbey proves to herself and the reader that with the support of even one friend and the vital creative outlet of art, one can survive the tumultuous modern world and emerge with a unique sense of identity, grounded in one’s friends and family and expressed and embodied through one’s voice.
While recommendations are easier, and I would recommend this book almost universally, ratings are much harder. I am marking four stars here, but this is not due to any deficiency that I can detect in the work. My personal rating would be more like a nine out of ten, or four point five stars. I enjoyed stepping into Abbey’s world and sharing her pains and victories, because they provided an opportunity to remember and reflect on my own. After all, we are all shaped by the people, events, and locations in our lives, from basketball-playing best friends to blabbering bullies, from national tragedies to personal puberty, and from distant countries family members are stationed to the places we sleep.

The Places We Sleep was my first jump into reading narrative verse and I truly enjoyed it, I enjoyed how at key moments in the text, the layout of the words, reflected the feeling and the action.

The subject matter of this text Is so important for our students, I remember 9/11 and this narrative ensures that students can grasp a real sense of the time, The big issues explored in this narrative include coming of age, pro/anti war, racism and loss.

Thank you to Holiday House Books and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for a review. "The Places We Sleep" is a middle-grade novel that describes how a middle schooler named Abbey deals with 9/11. The book is written in beautiful poetry and really captures Abbey's raw and emotional thoughts and feelings. Reading this book felt like you were on a personal journey with Abbey as she navigates puberty, the shocking aftermath of 9/11, and how to find yourself in the midst of tragedy. Caroline Brooks DuBois did a fabulous job at creating a moving book that I think will help middle schoolers today realize the impact of 9/11 on America. #ThePlacesWeSleep #NetGalley

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.

The Places We Sleep
Caroline Brooks DuBois
4 out of 5 stars

What I loved:
- The verse was absolutely beautiful, and I lived for the lines that hit you out of the blue like a punch to the gut
- The tension created between the tragedy of 9/11 and Abbey getting her period for the first time occurring on the same day was really interesting. It mirrored struggling with greater tragedies alongside personal, everyday wars and the terrors of growing up.
- The variety of Abbey’s relationships both with family and friends, and how they take different forms. She interacts with different people very differently, and I immensely enjoyed this.

What I didn’t love:
- I think the one thing that bothered me most about this book is that the Trio, the three “popular girls”, felt very flat and stereotypical. This is challenged a bit when we find out that Angela’s brother is deployed, but overall they weren’t very unique as far as antagonist characters go.

What I wanted more of:
- JIMAN. Her character was fantastic, and seeing her deal with Islamophobia in the wake of the terrorist attacks was impactful and made the story multi-dimensional. However, I wish we had seen more of her. Abbey doesn’t start talking to her until the very end of the book, and I really wanted more to happen between the two of them, given how much they have in common.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

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.

WOWI opened this book and the words themselves just flowed like a river. It read so fluidly into my mind and pressed deep in my heart. It was an honour to read about Abbey's life and weighed heavy as I read about the terrorist attacks of 9-11.
This is Abbey's story, a fictional one but a story non the less of where she was when 9-11 happened. I was very young in primary school I remember watching the news and hearing of the horror. It was not in my country but I remember for days seeing how in shock the people around me were. Abbeys story depicts the search for her aunt who worked at the world trade center. It also deals with normal middle school problems Abbey has to deal with like her first period. Her father is also away on deployment in Afghanistan.

This was a novel written in verse and was magnificent to read and would highly recommend to people of all ages.

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.