From award-winning author Sara Zarr comes a story of the small moments that show us who we are, and how family is not just something you’re part of, but something you make.
Lou and her family don’t have much, but for Lou it's enough. Mom. Her sister, Casey. Their apartment in the city. Her best friend, Beth. It would be better if Dad could stop drinking and be there for her and Casey, and if they didn't have to worry about money all the time. But Lou doesn’t need better—she only needs enough.
What’s enough for Lou, however, is not enough for Mom. Steve, Mom's boyfriend, isn’t a bad guy, he's just…not what Lou is used to. And now, he and Mom are getting married, and that means moving. Packing up life as they’ve known it and storing it in Steve’s garage. Lou will be separated from everything in her small but predictable life, farther from Dad than ever.
Their last night in the city, Lou receives a mysterious birthday gift: A guitar, left for her by their front door. There’s nothing saying who left it, but it must be from Dad. And as she leaves the only place she’s ever known, she starts to believe that if she can learn how to play it, maybe she can bring a piece of him, and of her old life, home.
Genre: Children's Fiction
Lou and her family don’t have much, but for Lou it's enough. Mom. Her sister, Casey. Their apartment in the city. Her best friend, Beth. It would be better if Dad could stop drinking and be there for her and Casey, and if they didn't have to worry about money all the time. But Lou doesn’t need better—she only needs enough.
What’s enough for Lou, however, is not enough for Mom. Steve, Mom's boyfriend, isn’t a bad guy, he's just…not what Lou is used to. And now, he and Mom are getting married, and that means moving. Packing up life as they’ve known it and storing it in Steve’s garage. Lou will be separated from everything in her small but predictable life, farther from Dad than ever.
Their last night in the city, Lou receives a mysterious birthday gift: A guitar, left for her by their front door. There’s nothing saying who left it, but it must be from Dad. And as she leaves the only place she’s ever known, she starts to believe that if she can learn how to play it, maybe she can bring a piece of him, and of her old life, home.
Genre: Children's Fiction
Praise for this book
"A Song Called Home is the kind of middle grade novel I adore: warm and deeply honest with characters so real you could touch them. Lou's struggles with family, friends, and big life changes are relatable, heartbreaking, and vividly drawn - trademarks of Sara Zarr's exquisite writing. This story will stick with me for years to come." - Brandy Colbert
"A Song Called Home is tender, powerful, and deeply true. Zarr's beautiful and precise rendering of family life is transcendent, and in Lu we have an unforgettable main character whose humanity and coming of age is compassionately explored. Over and over again this story made my heart simply soar." - Corey Ann Haydu
"Like the mysterious guitar left at Lou's door, A Song Called Home is the perfect gift to reassure readers that home isn't so much a place as it is a space in our hearts that we make with those we love." - Jo Knowles
"Sara Zarr's debut novel for middle grade readers is beautiful, honest, and bursting with hope--a powerful story about growing up, weathering change, and creating the family you need." - Kate Messner
"This is a novel filled with the terrific joys of real life--as well as its disappointments. It is a novel about broken families, about healing families, and about completely new and surprising families. And above all, it is a novel that dares us all to hope." - Gary D Schmidt
"A Song Called Home is tender, powerful, and deeply true. Zarr's beautiful and precise rendering of family life is transcendent, and in Lu we have an unforgettable main character whose humanity and coming of age is compassionately explored. Over and over again this story made my heart simply soar." - Corey Ann Haydu
"Like the mysterious guitar left at Lou's door, A Song Called Home is the perfect gift to reassure readers that home isn't so much a place as it is a space in our hearts that we make with those we love." - Jo Knowles
"Sara Zarr's debut novel for middle grade readers is beautiful, honest, and bursting with hope--a powerful story about growing up, weathering change, and creating the family you need." - Kate Messner
"This is a novel filled with the terrific joys of real life--as well as its disappointments. It is a novel about broken families, about healing families, and about completely new and surprising families. And above all, it is a novel that dares us all to hope." - Gary D Schmidt
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