Where I Live by Brenda Rufener
Published by HarperTeen on February 27th 2018
ISBN: 0062571095
Pages: 352
Goodreads

Ruffener has presented a heart wrenching story of courage and resilience in her first novel.  Readers slowly learn what makes Linden tick and how she survives in her new environment.  The plot goes deeper as the pages turn revealing a variety of issues facing a homeless teen.   This is a book that reveals a social issue that many readers are unable to imagine.   Her need of warmth and comfort goes beyond the lack of a place to sleep, the author exposes hardships of the body and spirit.

There are moments when the story seems to lag but the overall product is very well done.  Readers will learn about a social issue they may never have encounter in high school.    While there is romance within the pages that is not the focus.  One has to ask: how can a girl be so invisible when she is hiding in sight of the entire school and community?  Other issues surround this story line; we see bulling, physical abuse, sexual identity, as well as the use of addictive products within the pages.

Consider for middle school media centers, add to high school shelves and to public library YA collections.

 

Reviewed by Jan Hamilton, retired librarian in Scarborough, Maine