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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
Fans of Monday's Not Coming and Girl in Pieces will love this award-winning novel about a girl on the verge of losing herself and the unlikely journey to recovery after she is removed from anything and everyone she knows to be home.
Moving from Trinidad to Canada wasn't her idea. But after being hospitalized for depression, her mother sees it as the only option. Now, living with an estranged aunt she barely remembers and dealing with her "troubles" in a foreign country, she feels more lost than ever.
Everything in Canada is cold and confusing. No one says hello, no one walks anywhere, and bus trips are never-ending and loud. She just wants to be home home, in Trinidad, where her only friend is going to school and Sunday church service like she used to do.
But this new home also brings unexpected surprises: the chance at a family that loves unconditionally, the possibility of new friends, and the promise of a hopeful future. Though she doesn't see it yet, Canada is a place where she can feel at home--if she can only find the courage to be honest with herself.
"Allen-Agostini uses frank yet gentle prose...[in this] hopeful story about finding one's place and the sometimes-difficult journey to self-acceptance."-Kirkus Reviews, Starred review
"An accessible look at teen anxiety and depression...[Home Home] shines in its depictions of the physical and emotional aspects of anxiety and depression...[and] teens of color coping with mental illness will find common cause with this Trini girl's journey toward self-actualization and healing."--Booklist
"Allen-Agostini depicts the culture of her homeland with honesty and enlightening details,...delivering important messages about acceptance and mental illness."-SLJ
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
After a major depressive episode leads to hospitalization, 14-year-old Kayla is sent from Trinidad to Canada, where her Aunt Jillian and her partner, Julie, prove far more understanding of Kayla's mental health needs than her traditional, emotionally distant mother. Kayla still misses "home home" and her best friend Akilah, and she continues to struggle: catching the right bus, for example, causes her to teeter on the edge of a panic attack. When another episode sets Kayla back, her mother decides it's time to come home, but the loving support system and new connections she has established in Canada have started to feel more nourishing. Allen-Agostini (The Chalice Project) uses clear, concise prose to break down the daunting reality of depression and anxiety. Strong interpersonal dynamics balance hard themes, including homophobia, suicidal ideation, troubled parent relationships, and the minimization of depression, resulting in a quietly optimistic story. Ages 14 up.