No Place Like Home
by James Bird
Pub Date 08 Aug 2023
Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends
Children's Fiction | Middle Grade


I am reviewing a copy of No Place Like Home through Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends and Netgalley:


If your only home is a car, life is unpredictable, not even meals or schooling is a guarantee. Not every town has a shelter where a family can sleep for a night or two, and places with parking lots don't welcome overnight stays.



Opin, his Mother and Brother Emjay are trying to get to Los Angeles, where they hope an uncle and a new life are waiting. Emjay has taken to disappearing for days, slowing down the family's progress and adding to their worry.


After Opin finds a stray dog that needs him as much as he needs her, his longing for a stable home intensifies, and his brothers reckless ways hit an all time high.


Opin makes a new friend in the shelter, but shelters don’t allow dogs…

Will anything other than a real home ever be enough?


No Place Like Home would be a great book to broach the topic of homelessness , and poverty especially as it relates to Native Americans, and a great way to remind young readers that just because someone doesn't have a home, that doesn't mean they don't have goals.


I give No Place Like Home five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

A great middle grade novel that confronts many important and relevant societal issues including poverty and racism.

Publication Date: August 8, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was quite a heavy book to read! For readers who are going through similar situations, it will be a relief to know they’re not alone. The mother’s teachings about who not to trust (cavalry, police, CPS) seemed rooted in her experiences as well as collective experiences of Natives, but I couldn’t help feel it seemed too much- look who ended up helping them at the end… I hope the brother got professional help. I hope they were all able to settle down and have a sense of normalcy. As much as she was doing her best against many odds, this isn’t a way to live…

What an unforgettable, heartfelt book that will stay with you! Opin, his older brother Emjay, and mom are homeless and sleep in the car or sometimes a shelter, if they’re lucky. They are careful so Child Protective Services doesn’t find out and put Opin in foster care. Mom wants to get them to LA to stay with her brother until she can find work. Even through tough times: no food, no bed, sneakers being stolen, their car breaking down, mom says “we have to fight to survive.” Will they make it to her brother’s house safely?

“No Place Like Home” is a middle grade novel by James Bird. It will be released on August 8, 2023.

I received an eARC from NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group.

This was a finish in one sitting kind of book. I never intended it to be- but once I started, there was no stopping. I became completely invested in these characters and their story. So so good.

This story is about Opin, his brother Emjay, and their mom. And a sweet found puppy that Opin named Ani. They are living in their car and battling against all odds to find a home. I was rooting the entire book for Opin. I also found myself rooting for his mom. Who never once stops trying to protect and provide for her sons. I was furious with Emjay for most of the book.

I highly recommend this book for middle school and upper elementary.