â€œWill engender empathy and understanding of a serious and all-too-real problem. Jacobsonâ€™s story is poignant but never preachy.â€ â€”Â School Library

Paper Things

â€œWill engender empathy and understanding of a serious and all-too-real problem. Jacobsonâ€™s story is poignant but never preachy.â€ â€”Â School Library JournalÂ (starred review)

When forced to choose between staying with her guardian and being with her big brother, Ari chose her big brother. Thereâ€™s just one problem â€” Gage didnâ€™t actually have a place to live. How can Ari keep up with school, her best friend, and middle-school applications when sheâ€™s â€œcouch surfingâ€ â€” a night here with Gageâ€™s friend in a tiny apartment, a night there with Gageâ€™s girlfriend and her two roommates â€” and even, when necessary, sneaking into a juvenile shelter? Told in an open, authentic voice, this nuanced story of hiding in plain sight may have readers thinking about homelessness in a whole new way.

Paper Things