Something Like Home
Written by Andrea Beatriz Arango
Published by Random House Children's Books
Titi Silvia leaves me by myself to unpack,
but it’s not like I brought a bunch of stuff.
How do you prepare for the unpreparable?
How do you fit your whole life in one bag?
And how am I supposed to trust social services
when they won’t trust me back?
Laura Rodríguez Colón has a plan: no matter what the grown-ups say, she will live with her parents again. Can you blame her? It’s tough to make friends as the new kid at school. And while staying at her aunt’s house is okay, it just isn’t the same as being in her own space.
So when Laura finds a puppy, it seems like fate. If she can train the puppy to become a therapy dog, then maybe she’ll be allowed to visit her parents. Maybe the dog will help them get better and things will finally go back to the way they should be.
After all, how do you explain to others that you’re technically a foster kid, even though you live with your aunt? And most importantly . . . how do you explain that you’re not where you belong, and you just want to go home?
Look for the Spanish version, Casi, casi un hogar (Something Like Home).
Primary ISBN: 9780593566183
Publication Date: September 2023
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, eBook
Middle Grade, Age 10 or older
Community Represented: Puerto Rican
Themes: Accolades & Awards, Accolades & Awards: Starred Review, Accolades & Awards: Youth Media Awards, Animals, Family Relationship: Extended, Family Relationship: Parents, Family Separation: Living with Other Family or Friends, Format: Audiobook, Format: Novel In Verse, Generation: 2nd, Identity: Multilingual, Mental Health, Own Voices/Lived Experience, Trauma & Recovery: Substance Use
Setting: United States
Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: 2nd Generation
Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience
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Source: Alameda Free Library