Book Reviews May 2022

Fly Away Home

Written by Eve Bunting Illustrated by Ronald Himler

This is a book for elementary and even middle-school children. Andrew and his dad are homeless. They live in the airport. They must never be noticed, or airport security will throw them out onto the streets. Andrew’s dad works on the weekends as a janitor. It’s a lonely and sad life. Andrew sometimes gets angry about his mother dying and losing their apartment. He knows they must save their money to get a new apartment to live in. He saw a bird that flew into the terminal and couldn’t get out until one day it saw a door open and flew off. The bird gave Andrew hope.

Fly Away Home should be talked about with a parent or teacher, as homelessness is a problem in many places that hasn’t been solved. It is also often thought of as a situation that just drunks or mentally-ill people experience. Andrew and his father were not. They were just ordinary people who had fallen on hard times.

The book could be a catalyst for social consciousness and justice, for community service, or for action for change in our communities and countries.