14-year-old Leah has a lot of big questions, about life, about the universe and about her place in it. Struggling to form her questions and feelings into words, this sometimes makes her feel like an outsider. Thankfully she has great friends and family around her who all seem to help her ponder the big questions too. An experience stargazing one night transforms Leah, and challenges her to step outside her comfort zone, heading for an international summer camp to broaden her horizons and hopefully find some of the answers she’s looking for.
This book touches on everything from etymology to more traditional teen issues of school bullies and body image issues and the ever increasing urgency to act to slow down global warming. It's clear that the author has some passionate and spiritual ideas they wish to share with readers about unity and how a sense of ownership and belonging might inspire more action to reduce pollution and the other behaviors that are harming the world around us. Although written with great intentions, I would have liked to find more dimension in Leah, something outside of her existential musings to help me relate to the character. I liked how Leah’s family and friends were supportive of her exploring her ideas. I like the messages throughout to push outside your comfort zone to learn more about the world and yourself, as well as the conflict resolution at the summer camp. This is a book with a lot of positive messages and would be a good introduction into more philosophical thinking for teenagers while helping them to perhaps understand themselves and the world around them better.
14-year-old Leah loves wilderness survival books. In fact, sometimes she wishes she could escape into the wild. Then she could get away from the body image obsession at school and the bullies who pick on her little brother, Aiden. As long as she could still braid her hair, she could definitely survive without home comforts... and she could explore her passion for stargazing. But alone in the woods one night, Leah's life is transformed. She has the strangest sensation of gliding across the night sky, among millions of dazzling stars.
This profound experience sparks a burning question in Leah that no one seems able to answer. Desperate to broaden her horizons, Leah challenges herself to attend an international summer camp. Will the people she meets there, from her first love Sean, to formidable climate activist Kayleigh, help Leah find the answer to her question: what is 'Home'?
Philosopher, environmentalist and author, Mark Ballabon has been teaching and writing about personal and spiritual development for over two decades. His previous titles include Why is the Human on Earth? (9780955948701) and Courting the Future: Preparing for a Different World (9780955948749). Home is Mark's debut fiction title for young adults and he has been visiting schools and universities with the manuscript, gaining real-time feedback from young people to help shape the story.
