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Gr 7 Up--Tyler is having a hard time at school and, increasingly, at home. His mom is battling an unnamed mental illness, stays in bed most of the time, and has a heavy medication routine. Dad, a popular emergency room physician, is also a problem drinker who constantly denigrates Tyler for his slipping grades. After wearing out his welcome at girlfriend Lucy's house, where he has occasionally been crashing on the couch, Tyler is falsely accused by Lucy's vengeful brother of distributing opiates at an out-of-control party in their home. In legal jeopardy and all but cut off by his father, Tyler spends several nights on the street before connecting with an emergency shelter and transitional housing. The story is unusual for its sensitive treatment of a victim whose abuse is entirely emotional and psychological, making his situation largely invisible to classmates and teachers. He refers at one point to "the student I used to be when I got sleep and had square meals." This takes place in Victoria, on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Tyler's best friend is of Asian descent. All other central characters are cued as white. The school principal is described as wearing a hijab. The sentences are short, and the vocabulary is simple. Emphasis is placed on keeping the plot moving, making it a good choice for reluctant readers. VERDICT An engaging, relevant, and realistic story, recommended for middle and high school collections.--Bob Hassett, Luther Jackson M.S., Falls Church, VA

Sixteen-year-old Tyler couch surfs with friends, but what happens when he's out of places to go? Though his life seems great on the outside, Victoria, British Columbia, teen Tyler fears being at home. His father, a respected doctor, has a drinking problem and constantly berates him while his mother is depressed and doesn't leave her bed. Tyler often spends the night on the couch at his girlfriend Lucy's house, until her parents decide he's overstayed his welcome. He's not permitted to sleep at his friend Simon's apartment; the family, for whom money is tight, is not inclined to share their scarce resources with someone they perceive as rich and not in need of help. No one understands the cause of Tyler's food insecurity and hygiene issues. As Tyler works to get through one day at a time, he falls deeper into trouble, but an ultimately hopeful ending redeems his story. The portrayal of Tyler's reluctance to ask for help feels realistic, and his inability to articulate the verbal abuse he endures at home is heartbreaking. With emotional first-person narration and dialogue-heavy prose, this short book will be fodder for reluctant readers. Tyler, his family, and Lucy default to White; Simon is Asian, and there is diversity in the supporting cast. A thought-provoking problem novel about a teen's journey to find a safe place to call home. (Fiction. 12-16) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.