Fact Friday: Sanctuary: Kip Tiernan and Rosie's Place, the Nation's First Shelter for Women by Christine McDonnell

Image: Candlewick Press

Sanctuary: Kip Tiernan and Rosie's Place, the Nation's First Shelter for Women by Christine McDonnell. Illustrated by Victoria Tentler-Krylov. unpaged. Candlewick Press, March 1, 2022. 9781536211290. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Kip Tiernan was raised by her grandmother during the Great Depression. Granny always had a big pot of soup going and Kip would carry steaming bowls outside to give to men who would come to the door. Kip's granny didn't only give out food. If a man needed clothing, she found some to give. She had ten children. Kip learned that while her family was not rich, they still had more than many during those difficult times. 

These lessons followed Kip into adulthood when, after being inspired by a speech to end poverty in 1968, she sold her advertising business and dedicated her life to helping the poor of Boston. But she noticed that soup kitchens and homeless shelters only served men. Homeless women seemed invisible. They disguised themselves as men in order to eat. 

After a trip to New York City and the Saint Joseph's House, she returned to Boston determined to find a space to shelter women. In 1974, Rosie's Place opened in an empty supermarket. It was the first shelter for women. Her work was not done though. She also fought for health care for the homeless and food for the poor. 

Back matter includes more about Kip Tiernan as well as information about her memorial, which was erected in Copley Square, Boston in 2018. This memorial has quotes etched into the columns and they appear in the back matter. The soft watercolor and digital art features a diverse population of both homeless and helpers. 

Regular readers will already know how much I adore picture book biographies and how they can illuminate fascinating folk who don't always get their historical due. I am thankful for this book and for learning of this paragon of selflessness. 

Sanctuary releases on March 1 and belongs in all school, public and classroom libraries. 

Middle Grade Monday and Audiobook Review: The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman

The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman. Unabridged downloadable e-audiobook, ~4 hours. Read by the author. Listening Library/ Penguin Random House/ February, 2019. 9781984845108. (Review of e-audiobook downloaded from public library. Own hardcover.)

Middle Grade Monday features The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman. This first-person novel takes place in Chennai, India and is written as a series of letters from Vigi to her sister, Rukku. When their abusive father turns his anger on Rukku, who is developmentally disabled, and slaps her, Vigi gathers some food and a few belongings and runs away with her sister. There are very few prospects for the girls in the streets of Chennai and many dangers. Luckily, they fall in with two boys who are willing to share their space under an abandoned bridge and show them how to garbage pick. The four form a close-knit family until disaster strikes.

Readers will ache for these children from the start and quickly become invested in their story. This slim novel packs a punch. It's quite an impressive debut! I expect it will grace a number of year-end best lists and be discussed in a variety of committees. 

The author's performance was understated, perfectly paced  and absolutely lovely. Both the book and audio belong in every library. 

Middle Grade Monday and Arc Review: No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen

No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen. 276 p. Wendy Lamb Books/ Random House Children's Books, September 11, 2018. 9781524768348. (Review from arc courtesy of the publisher.)

We know immediately that something huge has happened to twelve-year-old Felix Knuttson because he's asking a police officer if he's going to be interrogated. He's seen the procedure on t.v. and wonders if his mother, Astrid is being interrogated in another room. He's assured they are not. He's also outraged because they didn't commit any crimes, the criminals got away and Felix and his mom are at the police station.

Once Felix realizes this sympathetic police officer knows the secret he was sworn to keep, Felix explains how their temporary housing crisis came to be. Felix and Astrid were not always between addresses. For the first part of Felix's fatherless life, the two lived with Mormor, his Swedish grandmother, in Astrid's childhood home. Readers learn, through Felix's matter-of-fact, earnest and endearing narrative about how he developed his love for a trivia game show,  Who, What, Where, When, thanks to Mormor, who also made his tomte, a gnome-like creature from Swedish folklore (p.8) that Felix carries everywhere. 

After Felix's mormor died, Astrid sold the home and purchased a condo. Astrid lost both her jobs and the building began to sink because it was built on a riverbank. Astrid could  not afford the cost of repair and so the condo was sold at a loss. And so, the family downsized again and again, each place a bit danker than the last, until they found themselves evicted and an abusive ex-boyfriend's van was the only option.

It was temporary, Astrid said. It was even fun, until the Vancouver summer turned to fall. Astrid managed to get Felix enrolled in a French immersion school. There, he reunited with an old friend and made a new one. He was happy there but their secret was getting harder and harder to keep what with the availability of showers and clean laundry limited. But Astrid's warning that he would be taken away from her and put in a foster home compelled Felix to stay silent. It was easier to lose friends than to lose Astrid. 

Though there is plenty of heartbreak here, Felix is resilient and loves his mom fiercely. He buys into her lies and supports her unconditionally. Until he can't and makes a life-changing decision. Felix is a winning narrator and the reader's heart will break for him again and again; but there's humor and hope to balance things out. 

Give No Fixed Address to readers who enjoy humor in their sad books or to fans of How to Steal a Dog or Crenshaw or fans of Nielsen's We are All Made of Molecules and The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen. Readers will laugh, cry and perhaps examine their assumptions about the homeless. No Fixed Address is a first-purchase. I can't wait to hand this to my students come fall. 

ETA: I forgot to mention that I adore this cover! 

Middle Grade Monday: Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate. 256 p. Feiwel & Friends, September, 2015. 9781250043238. (Own.)

The Middle Grade Monday feature is a recommendation from a sixth grade student. He chose Crenshaw as one of his favorite books to use for his booktalk podcast.

Crenshaw is the name of a giant cat who used to be Jackson's imaginary friend. But Jackson is eleven now; surely too old for an imaginary friend! The last time Crenshaw appeared was three years ago when Jackson and his family were living in their van. Things got better but now, Jackson is seeing piles of unpaid bills, empty cabinets, and whisper-arguing parents. He wishes they would be honest with him.

Most of my students want for nothing. This superb story of an intact family struggling with poverty is an eye-opener. Readers will relate to Jackson, admire his resilience, perhaps develop some empathy and, maybe even wish for a Crenshaw of their own.