No Fixed Address

by Susin Nielsen

From beloved Governor General Literary Award--winning author Susin Nielsen comes a touching and funny middle-grade story about family, friendship and growing up when you're one step away from homelessness.

Felix Knuttson, twelve, is an endearing kid with an incredible brain for trivia. His mom Astrid is loving but unreliable; she can't hold onto a job, or a home. When they lose their apartment in Vancouver, they move into a camper van, just for August, till Astrid finds a job. September comes, they're still in the van; Felix must keep "home" a secret and give a fake address in order to enroll in school. Luckily, he finds true friends. As the weeks pass and life becomes grim, he struggles not to let anyone know how precarious his situation is. When he gets to compete on a national quiz show, Felix is determined to win -- the cash prize will bring them a home. Their luck is about to change! But what happens is not at all what Felix expected.

• ISBN10: 0735262756
• ISBN13: 9780735262751
• Publish Date: 11 September 2018
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: CA
• Imprint: Tundra Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 288
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/isbn/9780735262751

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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