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skavansieur's review against another edition
3.0
*An ARC was given by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
“When it pours, have faith.”
Truly an unconventional way of writing, This Place is Not My Home is narrated through the emails sent by brothers Victor and Isaac.
Victor and Isaac were sent into foster homes after their mother went into jail. The news was spread like wildfire and everyone in their country knows about it. The kids in the school and their foster home calls them names and some even doubt their sincerity.
Victor is accused for stealing, after all, things started disappearing once he arrived. His foster parents are strict and his foster siblings are mean to him. Isaac likes his new foster parents but he is anxious that he might get kicked out soon. Nothing is going well for them and they don’t feel at home.
My favourite part of this story was how realistic the characters are. There’s slight touches on anxiety and panic attacks, which is good for middle-grade children to read about. I also liked that even though it’s the second book in the series, it can be read as a standalone.
“When it pours, have faith.”
Truly an unconventional way of writing, This Place is Not My Home is narrated through the emails sent by brothers Victor and Isaac.
Victor and Isaac were sent into foster homes after their mother went into jail. The news was spread like wildfire and everyone in their country knows about it. The kids in the school and their foster home calls them names and some even doubt their sincerity.
Victor is accused for stealing, after all, things started disappearing once he arrived. His foster parents are strict and his foster siblings are mean to him. Isaac likes his new foster parents but he is anxious that he might get kicked out soon. Nothing is going well for them and they don’t feel at home.
My favourite part of this story was how realistic the characters are. There’s slight touches on anxiety and panic attacks, which is good for middle-grade children to read about. I also liked that even though it’s the second book in the series, it can be read as a standalone.
danyell919's review against another edition
3.0
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was a short little book, told in emails, about two brothers in foster care. It was written with middle grade material on a lower reading level for struggling readers. I just thought it didn’t have enough substance.
This was a short little book, told in emails, about two brothers in foster care. It was written with middle grade material on a lower reading level for struggling readers. I just thought it didn’t have enough substance.
bexcapades's review against another edition
3.0
This was an average middle grade fiction book that I wished was longer. I feel like the other books in the series could be joined to it to make it a fuller feature novel.
lucsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
This is a very short story that can be read by children or adults alike about very hard subjects. The emails are written by two boys and seeing their lives through their eyes makes very difficult scenes still be characterized by a lot of innocence.
The brothers do not know that their mother will not come back for a very long time but they do now how precarious their situations in the foster homes are and are aware that the adults lie to them all the time even though the truth is always demanded of them. Reading about characters that through no fault of their own are absolutely powerless to change their situation makes the reader connect with them.
The entire book is told through emails, the only way the brothers have of contacting each other, and that single perk is dangled in front of their eyes and withheld as their keepers see fit which leaves a mark in them and make us feel angry in their behalf.
Every scene is absolutely believable, with all of us being aware that a lot worse can happen to foster kids.
The entire book carries a bitter feeling towards a society that could not help a young family remain together and cannot support them as they should be. The importance of brotherly love and keeping the memories of their family alive is underlined throughout the entire book with the older brother constantly reminding the younger of things they used to do as a family and the promise that they will be together again eventually, something that the reader cannot help but hope and doubt at the same time.
Thank you to NetGalley and West 44 Books for this ARC.
The brothers do not know that their mother will not come back for a very long time but they do now how precarious their situations in the foster homes are and are aware that the adults lie to them all the time even though the truth is always demanded of them. Reading about characters that through no fault of their own are absolutely powerless to change their situation makes the reader connect with them.
The entire book is told through emails, the only way the brothers have of contacting each other, and that single perk is dangled in front of their eyes and withheld as their keepers see fit which leaves a mark in them and make us feel angry in their behalf.
Every scene is absolutely believable, with all of us being aware that a lot worse can happen to foster kids.
The entire book carries a bitter feeling towards a society that could not help a young family remain together and cannot support them as they should be. The importance of brotherly love and keeping the memories of their family alive is underlined throughout the entire book with the older brother constantly reminding the younger of things they used to do as a family and the promise that they will be together again eventually, something that the reader cannot help but hope and doubt at the same time.
Thank you to NetGalley and West 44 Books for this ARC.
enchantedtoreadyou's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
Continuing story of foster brothers separated. This time, they try to find a way to live together again. Good continuation, would continue the series if books 3 and 4 were available on kindle.
doyoudogear's review
2.0
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.
This Place Is Not My Home was told using emails between Victor and Isaac. There was zero character development, and something that only vaguely resembled a plot. I have no idea what either brother looked like, and there are no details about their personalities. I'm also not entirely sure how old they were, only how old they've been when referring to things that have happened in the past. Also, if they're able to communicate with each other, why is there no correspondence with their sisters? The brothers mentioned their siblings a few times, but never talked about what happened to them or where they were.
I'm not sure what I was expecting from this one, but it left me feeling disappointed and a little frustrated. I wanted to know more about the brothers, but they share very few details about their lives. Basically, Isaac was in a play and nervous about a girl, and Victor was trying to prove his innocence. Everyone in his foster home (both the children and the adults) thought he was stealing things, but even that aspect of the story was anticlimactic. Victor runs away, gets picked up by the police, and all of that is handled in a single email with two or three sentences.
It's really hard to review this one, because there's simply no substance to this book.
This review can also be found at Do You Dog-ear? on May 25, 2019.
This Place Is Not My Home was told using emails between Victor and Isaac. There was zero character development, and something that only vaguely resembled a plot. I have no idea what either brother looked like, and there are no details about their personalities. I'm also not entirely sure how old they were, only how old they've been when referring to things that have happened in the past. Also, if they're able to communicate with each other, why is there no correspondence with their sisters? The brothers mentioned their siblings a few times, but never talked about what happened to them or where they were.
I'm not sure what I was expecting from this one, but it left me feeling disappointed and a little frustrated. I wanted to know more about the brothers, but they share very few details about their lives. Basically, Isaac was in a play and nervous about a girl, and Victor was trying to prove his innocence. Everyone in his foster home (both the children and the adults) thought he was stealing things, but even that aspect of the story was anticlimactic. Victor runs away, gets picked up by the police, and all of that is handled in a single email with two or three sentences.
It's really hard to review this one, because there's simply no substance to this book.
This review can also be found at Do You Dog-ear? on May 25, 2019.
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