By Allan Stratton (author)
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May 2017 Book of the Month | In a Nutshell: Taking a stand for the people you love
A touching tale of a teen girl’s endearing love for her grandmother, and the awe-inspiring, life-enhancing trip they take together.
Zoe Bird is a wonderful whirlwind of a character. Her voice fizzes with energy - and anger. Alongside having to deal with a whole lot of nastiness at the hands of her bullying cousin Madi (AKA Saint Suckhole), she’s trying to cope with the fact that her beloved grandmother has Alzheimer’s.
Granny is Zoe's closest friend, an ally who knows that Zoe has “the biggest heart in the world”. But Granny forgets things, and it’s getting worse. She sometimes goes to the store in her dressing gown, she’s failing to take care of herself, and she keeps mentioning her son Teddy, an uncle Zoe has never met.
So Zoe’s parents decide that it’s time for her to move into an old people’s home, but not for long… A family revelation leads Zoe to break Granny out of the home and they take a trip that leads to unexpected discoveries, and unforeseen joy.
Zoe’s relationship with Granny is nothing short of beautiful. I cried, I laughed, then cried some more at her bravery and absolute, unflinching emotional and physical support of her grandmother. By turns heartbreaking and hilarious, and always life-affirming, this will be adored by readers who enjoyed Jacqueline Wilson at a younger age. ~ Joanne Owen
Zoe Bird is going nowhere fast. She's angry and lonely, and her only true friend is her granny, whose Alzheimer's is worsening. When her parents put Granny in a home, Zoe decides now is the time to break free. She smuggles Granny out and together they hit the tracks on a cross-country trip to find Zoe's long-lost uncle. But there will be some home truths along the way...
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An emotional story about family, surviving school and being true to yourself for fans of The Art of Being Normal and Unbecoming.
I love this book - a riveting page-turner full of likeable, flawed, believable people. It's beautiful, heartbreaking, yet wonderfully funny. Stratton writes some of the wittiest dialogue in YA fiction today. -- Susin Nielsen
The Way Back Home is raw, funny, brutal and profoundly humane. It broke my heart and then healed it again -- Susan Juby
Terrific. I read it in one big gulp. Does Stratton have an ear for dialogue or what? His splendid new novel involves a journey from a painful past into something like, well, utter grace. Like all of Stratton's work, this is a read that makes us recognise the pilgrimages we are all on, and cheer at the thought that they might, they really might, be successful. Gary D Schmidt
Praise for The Dogs:
'An accomplished, gripping and thoughtful story, whose dramatic ending delivers on every level' Guardian
'Darkly suspenseful thriller blurring the lines between reality and imagination, keeping you guessing and keeping you awake long into the night' The Scotsman
Allan Stratton is the internationally acclaimed author of Chanda's Secrets (winner of the Michael L. Printz Honor Book). Other titles for young adults includ e Chanda's Wars, Borderline and Leslie's Journal . Allan has safaried in Africa, hiked the Great Wall of China, explored pyramids in Egypt and flown over Cappadocia in a balloon. He lives with his partner in Toronto with four cats and lots of fish.
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Zoe Bird is going nowhere fast. She's angry and lonely, and her only true friend is her granny, whose Alzheimer's is worsening.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed The Way Back Home and determined it is suitable for children aged 13-18 years old
The Way Back Home features in the following genres: Books Reviewed by our Reader Review Panels, Recommendations, Featured Books for Young Adults, Stories about Family and Friends, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, School Stories, PSHE: Sexuality, Gender and Relationships, Personal Social Health Economic (PSHE), PSHE: Self-Awareness, Self-Esteem and Wellbeing, PSHE: Bullying and Discrimination, Recommended Children's eBooks, Featured Books for 13+ readers
Paperback. Not Available.
The Way Back Home was written by Allan Stratton and published by Andersen Press Ltd
The Way Back Home has 243 pages
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