No Fixed Address

by Susin Nielsen

Felix Knutsson is nearly thirteen, lives with his mother and pet gerbil Horatio, and is brilliant at memorising facts and trivia. So far, pretty normal. But Felix and his mom Astrid have a secret: they are living in a van. Astrid promises it’s only for a while until she finds a new job, and begs Felix not to breathe a word about it. So when Felix starts at a new school, he does his very best to hide the fact that most of his clothes are in storage, he only showers weekly at the community centre, and that he doesn’t have enough to eat. When his friends Dylan and Winnie ask to visit, Felix always has an excuse.

But Felix has a plan to turn his and Astrid’s lives around: he’s going to go on his favourite game show Who, What, Where, When and win the cash prize. All he needs is a little luck and a lot of brain power . . .

Susin Nielsen deftly combines humour, heartbreak, and hope in this moving story about people who slip through the cracks in society, and about the power of friendship and community to make all the difference.

• ISBN10: 1787611485
• ISBN13: 9781787611481
• Publish Date: 4 October 2018 (first published 11 September 2018)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Andersen Press Ltd
• Imprint: Andersen Digital
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[wcs53]

I received this book from Early Reviewers at LibraryThing.

This is another winner from Susin Nielsen. The book is about Felix Knutsson, a twelve year old who finds himself living in a van with his mom, Astrid. The van isn't really theirs and living in it was only meant to be temporary until his mom got herself back on her feet. Unfortunately, their time in the van keeps on being prolonged, as Astrid's finds it difficult to hold down a job. Felix gets into a French immersion school, where he is reunited with his old best friend, and makes friends with a girl, who sometimes comes across as a know-it-all, but has many redeeming qualities. Felix does his best to keep his homeless situation to himself.

The characters are quite endearing and well-written, and the story moves along at a decent pace, with enough plot turns on the way to the finale. It's not a predictable read, and Nielsen touches on a lot of issues, including homelessness. The book is ultimately about friendship and community, and is a very heart-warming tale. I'd recommend this for anyone looking for a story about hope, even in what my seem dire circumstances.

[Sam@WLABB]

Another Nielsen book, another winner for me. I am so happy I discovered Susin Nielsen, because every one of her books end up on the "makes-me-happy" list. She has done it once again with No Fixed Address, which was, as intrepid reporter Winnie Wu stated in the book, a feel-good story.

• Pro: Nielsen does so many things well in her books, but most importantly, she crafts these incredible characters. Felix was one of those incredible characters. The kid won my heart as soon as he described himself as "Fifty percent Swedish, twenty-five percent Haitian, twenty-five percent French. Add it up and it equals one hundred percent Canadian." He was funny, quirky, and he charmed the pants off of me.

• Pro: Felix was homeless or, as he liked to say, "between places". There was a chapter in the book called "A Brief History of Homes", where Felix told us about all the places he had lived. This chapter was a brilliant way to show how quickly one's circumstances can change. How you can be living in a big victorian house one day and in the back of a van the next. I am glad it was included, because it can combat some of the assumptions people make about why people are homeless.

• Pro: The quiz show storyline was fantastic! I was so glad it was part of the story.

• Pro: It was obvious that Astrid was not winning any parenting prizes. Her inability to keep a job combine with her mental health issues, often left Felix to fend for himself, but one thing was clear - Astrid loved Felix and he loved her.

• Pro: Mental health and abuse are some of the issues addressed in this story. Both were handled honestly and with care.

• Pro: It was really beautiful the way so many people rallied for Felix. I swear! My heart grew three sizes due to some really wonderful characters in this book and their acts of kindness towards Felix and his mom.

Overall: A touching, funny, and heartbreaking look at homelessness, featuring a protagonists you will stand and cheer for.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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