A Song Called Home

Starred review from December 20, 2021
On her 11th birthday, fifth grader Louisa Emerson discovers a mysterious guitar on her San Francisco doorstep and, assuming it’s a gift from her estranged father, decides to learn to play, hoping the action will bring the two closer. Though she misses her dad, Lou is comfortable with the “we” comprising herself, her mom, and her adored teenage sister, Casey, but everything changes when her mom suddenly marries Steve from their Christian church and the family moves from their tiny city apartment to Steve’s suburban home. As sensitive, religious Lou strives to adapt to change in her newly affluent white family, she also worries about her dad, who lives with alcohol addiction; losing her close relationship with her best friend Beth, who is Chinese American; and her sister’s unpredictable moods. As a way of coping, Lou begins to pocket small objects. This compassionate middle grade debut by Zarr (Goodbye from Nowhere) is rich in small, acutely observed moments (Lu and Beth suck on candy until it takes “the shape of the roof of their mouths” like a retainer) as well as complex and endearing characters. An exceptional, emotionally honest portrait of a tween navigating a blended family. Ages 8–12. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.

January 1, 2022

Gr 5-8-Fifth grader Louisa (Lou) Emerson struggles with her alcoholic father's departure from her family. Left to help her pick up the pieces is her older sister, Casey, who is either on her phone or angry most of the time. To complicate life even further, her mother is engaged to a man named Steve, who Lou isn't even sure she likes. On her birthday, a guitar mysteriously appears outside her apartment door. Convinced it's from her father, Lou is determined to learn to play it. As her emotions spiral out of control, she begins to steal things; little things that remind her that she still does have some power. On the day of her mother's wedding, Lou's dad shows up uninvited and intoxicated. Frustrated that she can't even hold a normal conversation with her transient father, and with attending a new school close to Steve's house, Lou's stealing ramps up and ends up hurting someone very dear to her. Things start to look up when she meets a neighbor who can teach her to play the guitar in time for the school talent show. As her playing improves, Lou is certain that when her dad hears her perform in the talent show, things will be better. VERDICT This coming-of-age novel tackles issues of alcohol dependence, stealing, puberty, divorce, and step-families. A solid addition to middle grade shelves.-Tracy Cronce

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Starred review from December 15, 2021
Louisa Emerson copes with the sadness and stress of her alcoholic dad, remarried mom, new stepdad, and a move to the suburbs. Fifth grader Lou loves her small apartment in San Francisco; her mom; her 15-year-old sister, Casey; her BFF, Beth; sad books; and, despite the pain and uncertainty he causes, her usually drunk dad. Lou's life is being uprooted, however, because Mom is marrying oversolicitous Steve, a man from church who proposed after only three dates. Since Steve lives in his large childhood home in Pacifica--and Lou's family is barely getting by financially in the city--they are moving in with Steve, and only Mom and Steve seem happy about that. On her 11th birthday, Lou anonymously receives a guitar that she believes is from her dad. After the Emerson girls move, Lou befriends Marcus and Shannon, a charming couple with three young kids who live on Steve's block. They quickly become the sisters' trusted adults, and Marcus gives Lou guitar lessons. In her middle-grade debut, noted YA author Zarr writes exactly the sort of kid Lou herself favors: one that thoughtfully tackles tough issues like substance abuse, parental abandonment, the difficulties of change, and blended families. The story also features church and Christian themes in a refreshingly positive and affirming way. Lou's family is White; supporting characters include Chinese American Beth and Filipino American Marcus. A tender, honest, and beautifully written story about family, faith, and friendship. (Fiction. 9-13)

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Starred review from February 15, 2022
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* White fifth-grader Louise's life changes drastically when her mother remarries and Lou has to move from San Francisco to the suburbs. She hates leaving Beth, her Chinese American best friend, and longs to talk to her sister Casey, 14, about it, but Casey's obsessed with her boyfriend. Their father's an alcoholic who's rarely in touch, but on Lou's birthday, when someone leaves a guitar with an unsigned birthday card for her outside her apartment, she's sure it's from her dad. She thinks if she learns to play it and performs in her school's talent show, her dad will show up. Her new stepdad's Filipino American neighbor, Marcus, even offers to teach her to play. Feeling betrayed by the adults in her life because of all the changes in her life, Lou starts stealing little things as a way to maintain control. All the characters are flawed but fully realized, and Lou's family's Christian faith is incorporated seamlessly into the plot. The book also thoughtfully depicts what the children of alcoholic parents might experience, as Lou reflects on living with her dad: "You watched and waited to see what was OK to feel and to say. Never easy, never warm. Never totally safe." Acclaimed YA author Zarr's middle-grade debut about family, friendship, and belonging is heartwarming, uplifting, and wonderfully real. Highly recommended.

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