Quickly-read drama of a girl and her mother who live in a hotel – not, of course, by choice. Over these pages we don't see why they don't have a permanent home, only what has happened instead – but all that is to change anyway, as the hotel is being cleared for refurbishment. The future for the mother and daughter pair looks bleak, until word of a utopia crosses their path. But can this dreamland be true, and will it form part of their adventure together?

So there are a lot of areas here leaving a lot unspoken – the real reason for their houselessness, the reason they share the hotel with a white male entertainer, for another (it's clearly not a refuge for abused women, or immigrants). But the book isn't about specifics, it's about the drive and determination to find that forever home, the graft we could all have to fall back on to get us and our next generation on an even keel.

Ultimately, unfortunately, there isn't that much – we're still circling back into the past to fill the characters and flesh the story out when the thing ends. But this is a read for very young and reluctant readers, and for them it certainly works. The art is great, too, and I loved how the use of maps, diary extracts and so on added kind of non-diegetic story add-ons in between chapters. As I say many a reader might see a lack of substance, but before you're at that stage in your reading you will appreciate this drama and the characters, and know it deserves four stars.

For a book that is written within the framework of a certain fluency and curriculum, Finding Home ensures an excellent read. With such books, a balance of information, teaching and narrative is key, and Finding Home manages that balance well. Kacey and her mother are staying in a hotel along with others, all searching for a permanent home and a more settled life. Things take a turn and the hotel community start a new life, which proves to be wonderful.
From an educational standpoint, I liked the prose, the story, the presentation and in particular, the themes.
From a narrative standpoint, the story is not 100%, but again. for this kind of book, it is a solid story with a good structure.
I will read it again with my child and will recommend it to my friends who are educators.