Hold Fast
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4.4 • 20 Ratings
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
From NYT bestselling author Blue Balliett, the story of a girl who falls into Chicago's shelter system, and from there must solve the mystery of her father's strange disappearance.Where is Early's father? He's not the kind of father who would disappear. But he's gone . . . and he's left a whole lot of trouble behind.As danger closes in, Early, her mom, and her brother have to flee their apartment. With nowhere else to go, they are forced to move into a city shelter. Once there, Early starts asking questions and looking for answers. Because her father hasn't disappeared without a trace. There are patterns and rhythms to what's happened, and Early might be the only one who can use them to track him down and make her way out of a very tough place.With her signature, singular love of language and sense of mystery, Blue Balliett weaves a story that takes readers from the cold, snowy Chicago streets to the darkest corner of the public library, on an unforgettable hunt for deep truths and a reunited family.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The Pearl family doesn't have much beside a shelf of books and a tight-knit bond between parents Dash and Summer and kids Early, 11, and her younger brother, Jubilation. When Dash disappears after taking a second job that involves transferring used books, the family's apartment is violently ransacked, and the remaining Pearls must move to a homeless shelter. The third-person narrative mostly focuses on Early, but Balliett (The Danger Box) occasionally strays to an adult sensibility to marvel at the architecture of a Chicago library branch ("an elegant conversation between stone and glass") or to convey the hardships homeless kids face at school ("Most struggled at their grade level, having moved a bunch of times"). Early is sure that the key to unraveling her father's disappearance lies in the one book he kept from his job, The First Book of Rhythms by Langston Hughes, and though she does some sleuthing, the mystery is largely explained in conventional exposition by adults. Still, this novel abounds in heart, shining a spotlight on the gritty truths about homelessness. Ages 8 12.
Customer Reviews
Fun read
I thought this book was a really great, fun read. Although it was hard to get into at first, I ended up really liking it and I think it is worth reading.
Hold Fast
I thought this was a really good book. The first part of the book is sorta slow but once you get further into the book it gets good! I couldn't put this book down. I'd say this is somewhat a Mystery book, and I think that some people might be able to relate to what the Pearl family has went through.
The best book ever!😉 I would rate this 100000000 stars if I could!!!!😜
This book makes you feel good inside! Makes you want to keep reading and reading! Makes you think, and makes your heart beat faster and faster every second that you LOVE this amazing book!😃😆