A duet for home

Title:

A duet for home

Author:

Summary:

It's June’s first day at Huey House, and as if losing her home weren’t enough, she also can’t bring her cherished viola inside. Before the accident last year, her dad saved tip money for a year to buy her viola, and she’s not about to give it up now. Tyrell has been at Huey House for three years and gives June a glimpse of the good things about living there: friendship, hot meals, and a classical musician next door. Can he and June work together to oppose the government, or will families be forced out of Huey House before they are ready? -- Amazon.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

358 pages ; 22 cm

Genre:

Domestic fiction.

Subject Term:

Shelters for the homeless -- Juvenile fiction.

Children of unemployed parents -- Juvenile fiction.

Violists -- Juvenile fiction.

Homelessness -- Juvenile fiction.

Friendship -- Juvenile fiction.

Fathers -- Juvenile fiction.

Musicians -- Juvenile fiction.

Publisher:

Clarion Books an imprint of Harpercollins Publishers,

Publication Date:

2022

ISBN:

9780544876408

Publication Information:

New York, NY : Clarion Books an imprint of Harpercollins Publishers, [2022]

Call Number:

M GLASER

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003562082	Middle Fiction	GLASER	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

From the New York Times bestselling creator of the Vanderbeekers series comes a triumphant tale of friendship, healing, and the power of believing in ourselves told from the perspective of biracial sixth-graders June and Tyrell, two children living in a homeless shelter. As their friendship grows over a shared love of classical music, June and Tyrell confront a new housing policy that puts homeless families in danger.

It's June's first day at Huey House, and as if losing her home weren't enough, she also can't bring her cherished viola inside. Before the accident last year, her dad saved tip money for a year to buy her viola, and she's not about to give it up now.

Tyrell has been at Huey House for three years and gives June a glimpse of the good things about living there: friendship, hot meals, and a classical musician next door.

Can he and June work together to oppose the government, or will families be forced out of Huey House before they are ready

Author Notes

Karina Yan Glaser is a former teacher and now a contributor to Book Riot. Karina lives in Harlem, New York City, with her husband, two daughters, and assortment of rescued animals. One of her proudest achievements is raising two kids who can't go anywhere without a book. karinaglaser.com, Twitter: @KarinaYanGlaser, Instagram: @KarinaIsReadingAndWriting.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 3--7--According to young Maybelle, June is "the best eleven-year-old viola player in the world." But instruments are forbidden at Huey House, a homeless shelter where the sisters and their mother have landed after the sudden loss of their father resulted in eviction from their Chinatown apartment. Practice June must, which means she's going to have to trust longtime resident Tyrell to show her a safe place to play. Like June, Tyrell is fatherless--although his Chinese father isn't dead, he's in prison. Music--and a longing to belong--will ensure their friendship. Sura Siu gently ciphers June's chapters, moving from bewildered to empowered; June's mother's Cantonese dialogue benefits from Siu's multilingualism. Preston Butler III, a self-described "multihyphenate artist," voices Tyrell's energetic chapters, particularly effective in capturing exploits with his best friend (and coconspirator) Jeremiah. VERDICT Siu and Butler nimbly transform Glaser's alternating chapters into harmonious counterpoint.

Publisher's Weekly Review

Following the unexpected death of her father, her mother's subsequent retreat into silence, and an eviction, viola-playing June Yang and her Chinese American family move to Huey House, a Bronx shelter for unhoused people. Sixth grader Tyrell, who is Black and Chinese, knows Huey House "better than anyone," having lived there for three years; to atone for a cafeteria prank gone wrong, he offers to help June find a place to secretly practice her forbidden viola. Brief, alternating third-person chapters detail June's struggle to adjust, navigating a lengthy bus commute and her embarrassment about the family's new circumstances, alongside Tyrell's mastery of the shelter's rhythms and inhabitants. When Tyrell overhears a plot by the Huey House director to push families out of the shelter after only 90 days "to see lower homeless numbers," he and June know they must act to save it. Inspired by her years of work in the New York City shelter system, Yan Glaser's (the Vanderbeekers series) bighearted standalone moves quickly through its complex plot without forsaking strong characterizations of Huey House's many staff and residents, concluding with a potent message about the power of direct action. Ages 8--12. Agent: Ginger Clark, Ginger Clark Literary. (Apr.)