Something Like Home

By: Andrea Beatriz Arango

Narrated by: Almarie Guerra

The Pura Belpré Honor winning novel in verse, in which a lost dog helps a lonely girl find a way home to her family . . . only for them to find family in each other along the way. From the Newbery Honor winning author of Iveliz Explains It All.

“Trust me: this book will touch your heart." —Barbara O’Connor, New York Times bestselling author of Wish

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?

Critic reviews

Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year

“Exquisitely written, Something Like Home touched my heart deeply. This beautiful story is destined to become a classic.” —Holly Goldberg Sloan, New York Times bestselling author of Counting by 7s

“A sparkling gem of a book that will spring open the deepest places in your heart. I loved it, start to finish!” —Rebecca Balcárcel, Pura Belpré Honor-winning author of The Other Half of Happy

★ "Arango’s writing is a joy to read, combining strong storytelling, compelling characters, and rich language....Beautifully executed." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "Abundant bird facts—which Laura learned on daily walks with her father—add sensitive insight into Laura’s interpretation of family and loyalty." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "Arango's writing is intimate and heartbreaking, tackling such hefty issues as cultural identity, addiction, the pain of displacement and the anxiety it causes, and the adulation and rationalization that a child in pain can offer to adults they love." —The Horn Book, starred review

★ “Extraordinarily honest and sensitive, this novel in verse tactfully and gracefully deals with foster and kinship care and some of the many emotions involved.” —School Library Journal, starred review

"This story provides honest insight into the difficult subject matter of foster care, addiction, and finding identity." —The Bulletin

"Arango’s follow-up to her Newbery Honor debut is a triumph for readers who need the hug without having to ask for it." —Booklist

Changes

I love how at the end it was bad and I did not know how it was going to end cause it was bad at the end but it got good quick

The fact that she didn’t like her aunt then she started warming up to her.

I liked that she didn’t like moving in with her aunt until she made friends and got a cute new dog and started missing her parents and loving her aunt.

Foster

I really loved the foster aspect of this book and how it really helps someone to understand the life of a “foster” kid.

Hope, Acceptance, Love

This was a wonderful book for children and to learn about friendship, trust and acceptance of others. Family isn’t always family. It’s who you surround yourself with.