Scan barcode
engpunk77's review
4.0
I appreciate middle grade books that portray difficult family situations, and this one satisfied my need for books like that. Zig is a latchkey kid, practically, with a difficult situation that gets a lot worse before things look up for him, and it's so important for tweens of all backgrounds to see life from his perspective. I had feelings about how his teachers handled his situation, and I saw our good intentions in "helping the needy" in a new way. The message here is to have hope, but HOPE IS NOT ENOUGH. You have to have a backup plan for when your hopes don't pan out. What a necessary life lesson! Endearing characters, real life crud, and an interesting plot that was a "twist" according to the middle school-aged students reading this in my club (not so much for me), and this is overall a WIN.
barberchicago_books's review
5.0
I was pleasantly surprised to open this book and discover that it's a companion to The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z., which I (and a bunch of my students) read this past school year. This story centers on Zig, Gianna's BFF and science wonder.
Zig's dad has been out of the picture for 3 years, and Zig hasn't seen him in over one year. His mom was scraping by while getting her nursing degree, but their circumstances change for the worse. Zig thinks he can track his dad down through geocaching with his friends Gianna and Ruby, and his mom seems to be hiding something as well.
This book is a necessity. We talk about books that are mirrors and windows, and this one is a window through which kids (and adults, for that matter) can read about - and develop empathy for - people not like them. Messner sheds a bright light on the plight of those in poverty. We teachers say, "You can't Bloom (hierarchy of learning) without Maslow (hierarchy of needs)". The Exact Location of Home beautifully and painfully illustrates the stresses and changes that people experience when they become homeless. Those of us in positions of power - especially with children - need to have empathy for be supportive of those who are struggling, rather than punitive. I am so grateful to have read this beautiful book so that I can begin understand poverty and how it affects families.
Zig's dad has been out of the picture for 3 years, and Zig hasn't seen him in over one year. His mom was scraping by while getting her nursing degree, but their circumstances change for the worse. Zig thinks he can track his dad down through geocaching with his friends Gianna and Ruby, and his mom seems to be hiding something as well.
This book is a necessity. We talk about books that are mirrors and windows, and this one is a window through which kids (and adults, for that matter) can read about - and develop empathy for - people not like them. Messner sheds a bright light on the plight of those in poverty. We teachers say, "You can't Bloom (hierarchy of learning) without Maslow (hierarchy of needs)". The Exact Location of Home beautifully and painfully illustrates the stresses and changes that people experience when they become homeless. Those of us in positions of power - especially with children - need to have empathy for be supportive of those who are struggling, rather than punitive. I am so grateful to have read this beautiful book so that I can begin understand poverty and how it affects families.
booksandbeyonce's review
5.0
Thanks to @kidlitexchange for a review copy of this book--all opinions are my own.
A MILLION STARS to this simultaneously heartbreaking and uplifting middle grade novel by Kate Messner. Kirby Zigonski, aka Zig, is just your average middle school geek. He's into computers, enjoys geocaching, and doesn't quite know how to handle his feelings (are they feelings?) for his friend Gianna. Zig's parents are divorced, and he hasn't heard from his dad in a while, but he knows something really strange is going on when his mom refuses to contact his father even after she and Zig get evicted from their apartment. Zig's experience being homeless introduces him to new friends, old classmates, and eventually reveals the truth about where his father is.
I read this book in one sitting because I just could not put it down. Messner touches on so many issues here, from homeless students to abusive relationships to the power of friendship, and I wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen to Zig. I also definitely teared up at the end--read it and find out why! As a teacher, it was a great reminder of how much harder simple tasks are for homeless students, and it would be a great way to build empathy in students towards that population. I recommend this book for all classroom libraries, grades 5 and up!
A MILLION STARS to this simultaneously heartbreaking and uplifting middle grade novel by Kate Messner. Kirby Zigonski, aka Zig, is just your average middle school geek. He's into computers, enjoys geocaching, and doesn't quite know how to handle his feelings (are they feelings?) for his friend Gianna. Zig's parents are divorced, and he hasn't heard from his dad in a while, but he knows something really strange is going on when his mom refuses to contact his father even after she and Zig get evicted from their apartment. Zig's experience being homeless introduces him to new friends, old classmates, and eventually reveals the truth about where his father is.
I read this book in one sitting because I just could not put it down. Messner touches on so many issues here, from homeless students to abusive relationships to the power of friendship, and I wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen to Zig. I also definitely teared up at the end--read it and find out why! As a teacher, it was a great reminder of how much harder simple tasks are for homeless students, and it would be a great way to build empathy in students towards that population. I recommend this book for all classroom libraries, grades 5 and up!
gileslibrarian6's review
4.0
Kate Messner finds a great way to tackle tough topics in Middle Grade Lit. In The Exact Location of Home, Zig is disappointed when his father misses another visit and his mother won't tell him where his father is. Zig is gifted a box of old electronics including an old GPS and uses it to start geocaching with his friends, Gianna and Ruby. He finds caches left behind and discovered by a Senior Searcher and are convinced they are from his dad. Meanwhile, Zig ends up homeless and hides his troubles from his friends but becomes humbled about the types of people who stay at homeless shelters during his stay there. In the end, Zig finds Senior Searcher and learns perhaps the Exact Location of Home isn't always what you expect.
shawnnaw's review
4.0
Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book - all opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed this book. It dealt with homelessness from the perspective of the middle school student - and brought up some things I had never thought about. All of the little things we take for granted when we have a home - such as the need for a pencil to actually do our homework. I could have done without the little side story about his aunt's domestic abuse, but for the most part it was a good read - well written and it kept me engaged.
I really enjoyed this book. It dealt with homelessness from the perspective of the middle school student - and brought up some things I had never thought about. All of the little things we take for granted when we have a home - such as the need for a pencil to actually do our homework. I could have done without the little side story about his aunt's domestic abuse, but for the most part it was a good read - well written and it kept me engaged.
sskatierickard's review
4.0
“When I look at Mrs. Health up there, though, she doesn’t look like a monster. She looks like somebody who doesn’t get it. Somebody who thinks poor kids are numbers on her chalkboard instead of real live students without pencils at their desks.” (176)
christiana's review against another edition
3.0
Kind of a rough read for me! I appreciate that this tackles a hard subject with a lot of care to the point where I wonder if I'm more affected by it than any kid who would read it. Is geocaching still a thing for kids? My coworker says no but I want more opinions and want kids to be into it because I am maybe still kind of taken with the idea (do I do it personally? No. Do I appreciate its existence? Yes.).
Spoiler
homelessness
More...