SOMETHING LIKE HOME

Almarie Guerra gently reinforces the line breaks of this novel in verse, but her emphasis is placed more strongly on its characters' emotions. Eleven-year-old Laura is sorting out a range of feelings as she copes with having been removed from her family. Guerra reflects Laura's discomfort and anger at being placed in the home of an aunt who never seemed to care about her family. Soon Laura expresses guilt that it was she who placed the 911 call that resulted in her parents being taken to rehab. This is an audio with lots of interiority, and Guerra meets these demands with seeming ease. She shows Laura's growth as she trains an abandoned puppy, bonds with a compassionate classmate, and grows to understand the complications of loving parents who struggle with addiction. S.W. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2023]