No Place Like Home

Starred review from July 3, 2023
Twelve-year-old Ojibwe Opin has been living in his family’s Ford Pinto for some time with his mother and impulsive older brother, Emjay, who often disappears during rest stops along their route across California to Los Angeles. Gathering left-behind grub from fast food restaurants, slipping into empty hotel rooms to shower, and crossing their fingers for space at a local shelter are just a few of the things they must do to survive if they hope to make it to their destination before social services puts the brothers in foster care. Despite the promise of stability in L.A., the feeling of home is always just out of reach, until Opin adopts a stray dog that he believes completes their family. But when Emjay takes his frustrations out on the pup and storms off, and Opin reckons with the fact that most shelters don’t allow pets, Opin worries that his family has reached a breaking point. Writing from his own experience, per an author’s note, Ojibwe author Bird (The Second Chance of Benjamin Waterfalls) crafts this deeply felt ode to familial love with authoritative prose. Opin’s palpable fears, joys, and unrelenting hope buoy this tale of resilience. A glossary and playlist conclude. Ages 10–14. Agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio.

Starred review from August 1, 2023
Grades 5-8 *Starred Review* Twelve-year-old Opin (Ojibwe); his mother, Inde; and his angry and troublesome older brother, Emjay, who has a habit of disappearing at the wrong time, are unhoused and living in their car. Their goal is to drive from Sacramento to Watts, where Inde's brother lives, in the hopes that he might help them. But he struggles with alcoholism and is "a bit off." In the meantime, they move from city to city, one step ahead of the police and Child Protective Services, staying in shelters if they're lucky. This enrages Emjay, whose default emotion is anger and whom Opin often fears. Things ease a bit when Opin finds an abandoned puppy, names it Ani, and adopts it. Opin has fantasies of being a warrior brave, riding a pinto horse (their car is a Pinto) accompanied by Ani (now a wolf in Opin's imagination), until Emjay snarls, "Grow up. . . . This is real life. . . . There's no happy ending." Is he right? Will the family reach Watts? James Bird, who has been unhoused and is of Ojibwe descent, writes with rare authority, insight, and compassion that invites deep empathy from readers. He has done a beautiful job of creating an unforgettable family, who, as Inde says, "may be broke, but we're not broken."

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September 15, 2023
An urban Native American boy's gripping survival story. In this complex and emotionally resonant novel, Opin lives in a car, enduring unpredictable days as his family struggles. Opin's mother guides Opin and his brother, Emjay, to live life as a game, even though their battle with being unhoused seems unwinnable. They move constantly to avoid "the cavalry"--or Child Protective Services--as they search for money, food, and a forever home. Opin's mother insists that he "keep an active mind." He hunts down science facts and learns all his school subjects from library books. His mother teaches him Ojibwe words from her grandmother's handwritten notebook. She teaches him reciprocity, only taking what they need to survive, and street smarts. Opin and his new friend, a Black boy from the shelter they move to in Stockton, are attacked by racist teenagers. The storytelling is superlative, but some of the phrases and descriptions--for example, "metal pony" for shopping cart, "buffalo hunt" for stealing food--feel reminiscent of Native tropes, despite seeming to be intended to show Opin's feelings of connection to his heritage. Some scenes would have benefited from more context: Opin's mother, who performs her own version of Ojibwe dancing for money, rebuts a passerby's criticism that she's "exploiting our dying Native American culture." Rather than critiquing the framing of Indigenous cultures as "dying," she says that she's "reviving our culture." But do vibrant contemporary Indigenous ways of life need to be revived? Still, Bird seamlessly weaves in historical events, like the government's distribution of smallpox-infested blankets to kill Native people, while telling a story of admirable resilience. A thought-provoking story of one boy playing his own game of life. (song list, Ojibwe glossary, author's note) (Fiction. 11-14)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from December 8, 2023

Gr 5 Up-Opin is an adventure seeker, an artist, and a 12-year-old boy living out of a car with his mom and older brother Emjay in central California. Opin's mom has infused their family's daily life with the language and lore of her Ojibwe ancestors, giving Opin a sense of agency and joy even as the family struggles to find stability in the form of a family member and a potential home in LA. Perpetually facing down "the cavalry" (unforgiving landlords and Child Protective Services workers) and the very real threats of physical violence and hunger, Opin's new stray dog companion and rich imaginative world are vibrant sources of determination to keep going, even when circumstances are very bleak. Bird's latest novel is a big-hearted story of growing up through hardship, told in language rich with metaphor and poetry. Back matter includes a playlist of the songs that fuel the characters' journey, as well as a glossary of Anishinaabemowin terms. VERDICT Highly recommended for middle school and public libraries, especially those seeking to add works from contemporary Native voices.-Jennifer Costa

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