Home away from home /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

From Newbery Honor Winner Cynthia Lord, a brilliant story about how to find home when everything around us is changing.

Mia and her mom visit Grandma in Maine every summer, but this year Mia is going alone. Her mom will stay behind to get their house ready to sell. It'll be a new start, she says, after the divorce.

Mia doesn't want a new start. She'd rather everything just stayed the same! At least things will be the same at Grandma's, though. Mia will walk to town for ice cream, and wait by the water, watching for birds, just like always.

Then Mia meets Grandma's know-it-all new neighbor, who's just her age. Cayman acts like he belongs at Grandma's house. He acts like he's the expert on everything. And when he and Mia spot an unusual white bird of prey, he acts like it's his job to find out what it is.

Unless, that is, Mia finds out first. And, in her effort to prove herself to him, she makes a decision that will change things for the town, for the bird, for Cayman, and even for herself. Can Mia stop what she's put into motion?

Acclaimed author Cynthia Lord, with her trademark sensitivity, weaves her love of nature with a profound reflection on what it means to be at home in a changing world.

Excerpt provided by Syndetics

Everything was just the way I hoped it would be. Cozy and familiar, with only fun little surprises, like finding treats in my top dresser drawer. Not big hard surprises, like finding out things had changed without me. I'd had enough of those surprises to last me a lifetime. But one problem with surprises is that they're sneaky. You never know what kind is coming next. Excerpted from Home Away from Home by Cynthia Lord All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

An 11-year-old leans into her passion for birding while navigating life changes in this heartfelt novel from Lord (Ivy Lost and Found). Mia looks forward to her first solo stay with her beloved grandmother in Stone Harbor, Maine, especially because it means she won't have to watch her mother prepare their Ohio house for sale before they move into a new place with Mom's boyfriend. But just as she's ready to settle into a month of extra attention and Grandma's familiar, relaxed rhythms--including regular walks to town for ice cream and looking out for eagles and seals--Mia's surprised to meet Miss Agatha, a mysterious stray cat in Grandma's yard, and new neighbor Cayman, a boy her age who knows his way around Grandma's kitchen and the local eagle nest. When Mia and Cayman spot a huge white raptor battling the eagles, Mia's mission to identify it ahead of Cayman sets off a frenzy that attracts an unwelcome overrun of strangers who disrupt the town she loves and endanger what turns out to be a rare white gyrfalcon. With a steady pace and a comforting tone, Lord skillfully weaves a message about respecting wildlife with themes of facing change into a tale of finding courage. Protagonists read as white. Ages 8--12. Agent: Tracey Adams, Adams Literary. (Apr.)

Booklist Review

Mia is looking forward to visiting her grandmother's house in Maine, walking familiar forest paths, stopping at the ice-cream shop, and bird-watching, just the two of them. But she finds that a boy named Cayman has moved in next door and that he and her grandmother are chummy. Mia would rather not share Grandma, but the kids head off on a birding expedition, where they catch a glimpse of an enormous raptor that neither recognizes. In her determination to beat know-it-all Cayman to the punch, Mia posts about the bird online, and the town is soon overrun with photographers who threaten the bird's safety. Mia knows she can't undo the damage, but she'll do whatever it takes to put things right for the bird and the boy next door. Mia is a thoughtful and adventurous narrator, and the bighearted book gives her a chance to learn and grow on her own terms. Lord splendidly captures the coziness of a coastal town and the exhilaration of responsible wildlife encounters. A rewarding summer read with depth and charm.

Kirkus Book Review

A summer visit to Maine provides adventure and challenges for 11-year-old Mia. Mia worries about the many changes in her life and sees worst-case scenarios at every juncture. She must share her divorced parents with their new partners, but this summer Mia will be alone with her beloved grandmother. But there are new presences in Grandma's life--mysterious stray cat Miss Agatha and new neighbor Cayman, a boy Mia's age. Grandma encourages Cayman to show bird lover Mia an eagle nest. While watching the eagles, Mia and Cayman spot a large white bird swooping in, attacking the eagles, and Mia manages to take photos of it on her phone. Wanting to identify it before Cayman does, she posts to a birders' site. The members recognize it as a white gyrfalcon. When Mia naïvely tells them her location, it sets in motion a series of nearly disastrous events, as the town is inundated with people determined to spot the rare bird. Cayman is dealing with his own worries about his mom, and his relationship with Mia is strained to the breaking point. Mia tells her own story, sharing her hurts, fears, misconceptions, and realizations and beautifully describing the nature around her. She learns to reach out for help in order to help make things right for the birds she has come to love, for Cayman and his mom, and even for Miss Agatha, discovering her own courage along the way. A coming-of-age tale told with tenderness and compassion. (Fiction. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Cynthia Lord is the award-winning author of Rules , a Newbery Honor Book and a Schneider Family Book Award winner, as well as the critically acclaimed Half a Chance , A Handful of Stars , and Because of the Rabbit . She made her picture-book debut with Hot Rod Hamster , which won several awards, including the Parents' Choice Award, and is the author of the Shelter Pet Squad chapter book series. She lives in Maine with her family. Visit her at cynthialord.com.