No Fixed Address is a powerful YA novel about a boy who lives in a van with his mum and his pet gerbil, and his attempt to win a game show in order to get them a home. Felix is nearly thirteen and does a French immersion programme at his new school. What his classmates and teachers mustn't know is that he lives in a van, showers weekly at the community centre, and is always hungry. When there are auditions for a junior edition of his favourite game show, it seems like the chance to get him and his mum living somewhere better, but things don't all go to plan.

This is a heartwarming and sad young adult novel that exposes the plight of the hidden homeless: people who aren't always visibly without a home, but still do not have one. It shows the huge impact this has on a teenage boy who just wants a real bed and a toilet, as well as the shame that surrounds such situations. At the same time, it is about reconnecting with old friends and finding community and people to help. It shows the difficulty of Felix's position in many ways, including him being able to see how his mother is failing to protect him and to hold down a job, even though there's nothing he can do about it. The style is direct and engaging and it is another important YA book that highlights real issues.

No Fixed Address is emotional and may open the eyes of some young readers, whilst sadly probably showing reality for others. It is a good book for parents and relatives to read too, to think about the issue of the housing crisis from different perspectives.

Felix is just 13 in #nofixedaddress and we see life without a roof over your head through his eyes. It is smart, compassionate and very moving - it's also, unfortunately, an increasingly relevant tale across the "developed" world.

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK Children’s Publishers for a review copy of this one.

This was such a wonderful wonderful read for me—heart-breaking, and cute, and making me smile a little all at the same time. The story is told in the voice of twelve-and-three-quarters-year-old Felix Knutsson, who lives with his single mother, Astrid (she insists he calls her by name) in a Westfalia van. They have seen a change in fortunes from a time when they were doing ok and had a home, to one where Astrid is more or less jobless, and almost penniless, and have to take the only option available to them, of living in a van. Felix had had to change schools and homes many times over the years as they moved around various parts of Vancouver but finds himself now back in school with one of the only friends he ever had, Dylan Brinkerhoff. Before long Winnie Wu, somewhat Hermione-Granger-like, and a bit over-enthusiastic about school joins their little group. But Felix has to navigate through all of this without ever letting slip his living arrangements as both Felix and his mother are terrified of falling into the ‘clutches’ of the Ministry of Children and Family Development, which they are convinced will place him in foster care, and apart from his mother. Alongside, he must also deal with his mother, who isn’t exactly a bad mother but not a particularly good one either, with many facets to her character (specifics might be a spoiler), that are far from perfect. His only hope lies in participating in his favourite game show Who, What, Where, When, which is having a junior edition, through which he might win some prize money that can help tide them over.

I loved Felix—he was so sensible, mature for his age, able to face much more than anyone his age could and all without constantly whining or pitying himself. This is not to say that he doesn’t want life to get back to normal, or that he is a Pollyanna, but he takes things in his stride better than even a grown-up would. One can’t help but feel sorry for him having to not only present a brave face to the world but also to be the strong one in his family in some situations. Some of the situations they have to face are plain frightening at times, and others require Felix to accept things that he wouldn’t normally approve of (after all, he has to live). I also liked how the author conveyed so many things subtly capturing things in a way a child might perhaps see them, and not having to say things explicitly/directly all the time. Seeing Felix’s situation, one can’t help but think about people like him who have to live every day without the things we tend to take for granted—food to eat, a bed to sleep in, a toilet in one’s home—and realise the need to have more help at hand for people in such circumstances, and feel grateful in having those things, besides also realising, that a life with dignity which is a ‘basic’ human right remains a luxury for so many. At the same time, the book gives a positive and hopeful message about people themselves. I also liked that the book really reflected well how multicultural our world really is now. This may be classified as a YA book, but is one that can be appreciated by everyone, even adults (perhaps more so), and I highly recommend it. Simply wonderful read. (p.s. of course, I loved the little illustrations!!!!)