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Home Away From Home

Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
2 of 2 copies available
From Newbery Honor Winner Cynthia Lord, a brilliant story about how to find home when everything around us is changing.

Mia and her mom visit Grandma in Maine every summer, but this year Mia is going alone. Her mom will stay behind to get their house ready to sell. It'll be a new start, she says, after the divorce.

Mia doesn't want a new start. She'd rather everything just stayed the same! At least things will be the same at Grandma's, though. Mia will walk to town for ice cream, and wait by the water, watching for birds, just like always.

Then Mia meets Grandma's know-it-all new neighbor, who's just her age. Cayman acts like he belongs at Grandma's house. He acts like he's the expert on everything. And when he and Mia spot an unusual white bird of prey, he acts like it's his job to find out what it is.

Unless, that is, Mia finds out first. And, in her effort to prove herself to him, she makes a decision that will change things for the town, for the bird, for Cayman, and even for herself. Can Mia stop what she's put into motion?

Acclaimed author Cynthia Lord, with her trademark sensitivity, weaves her love of nature with a profound reflection on what it means to be at home in a changing world.

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  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      February 13, 2023
      An 11-year-old leans into her passion for birding while navigating life changes in this heartfelt novel from Lord (Ivy Lost and Found). Mia looks forward to her first solo stay with her beloved grandmother in Stone Harbor, Maine, especially because it means she won’t have to watch her mother prepare their Ohio house for sale before they move into a new place with Mom’s boyfriend. But just as she’s ready to settle into a month of extra attention and Grandma’s familiar, relaxed rhythms—including regular walks to town for ice cream and looking out for eagles and seals—Mia’s surprised to meet Miss Agatha, a mysterious stray cat in Grandma’s yard, and new neighbor Cayman, a boy her age who knows his way around Grandma’s kitchen and the local eagle nest. When Mia and Cayman spot a huge white raptor battling the eagles, Mia’s mission to identify it ahead of Cayman sets off a frenzy that attracts an unwelcome overrun of strangers who disrupt the town she loves and endanger what turns out to be a rare white gyrfalcon. With a steady pace and a comforting tone, Lord skillfully weaves a message about respecting wildlife with themes of facing change into a tale of finding courage. Protagonists read as white. Ages 8–12. Agent: Tracey Adams, Adams Literary.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Narrator Brenna Larsen evokes the joy and love of a girl who is visiting her grandmother. Mia is breaking her family's tradition by going to Maine on her own this summer. She's escaping the anxiety she feels at the prospect of her mom selling their house and looking for a new one with her boyfriend. The enthusiasm Larsen puts into her youthful voice is quickly tempered by frustration when Mia becomes jealous of a boy her age whom her grandmother is helping. Things get out of control when they discover a rare hawk in the area and Mia turns to an online birding site. Larsen creates a distinct cast of supporting characters as Mia learns lessons about compassion, responsibility, and the unreliability of social media. S.T.C. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:600
  • Text Difficulty:2-3

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