Children's Fiction Homelessness & Poverty
No Fixed Address
- Publisher
- Tundra
- Initial publish date
- Sep 2018
- Category
- Homelessness & Poverty, General, Humorous Stories
- Recommended Age
- 10 to 18
- Recommended Grade
- 5 to 12
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9780735262751
- Publish Date
- Sep 2018
- List Price
- $21.00
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9780735262775
- Publish Date
- Apr 2020
- List Price
- $13.99
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
From beloved Governor General Literary Award--winning author Susin Nielsen comes a touching and funny middle-grade story about family, friendship and growing up when you're one step away from homelessness.
Felix Knuttson, twelve, is an endearing kid with an incredible brain for trivia. His mom Astrid is loving but unreliable; she can't hold onto a job, or a home. When they lose their apartment in Vancouver, they move into a camper van, just for August, till Astrid finds a job. September comes, they're still in the van; Felix must keep "home" a secret and give a fake address in order to enroll in school. Luckily, he finds true friends. As the weeks pass and life becomes grim, he struggles not to let anyone know how precarious his situation is. When he gets to compete on a national quiz show, Felix is determined to win -- the cash prize will bring them a home. Their luck is about to change! But what happens is not at all what Felix expected.
About the author
Susin Nielsen got her start feeding cast and crew on the popular television series, Degrassi Junior High. They hated her food, but they saw a spark in her writing. Nielsen went on to pen sixteen episodes of the hit TV show. Since then, Nielsen has written for over 20 Canadian TV series. Her first young adult novel, Word Nerd, was published in 2008 to critical acclaim. It won multiple Young Readers’ Choice Awards, as did her second novel, Dear George Clooney: Please Marry My Mom. Her third novel, The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen, was published in August 2012. It went on to win the Governor General’s Literary Award, the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award, the Canadian Library Association’s Children’s Book of the Year Award, and a number of Young Readers’ Choice Awards. Author Wally Lamb named it his top YA pick for 2012 in his “First Annual Wally Awards,” and recently Rolling Stone magazine put it at #27 in their list of “Top 40 Best YA Novels.” Her books have been translated into multiple languages. Susin’s new novel, We Are All Made of Molecules, will be published in Canada, the US and the UK in Spring of 2015. She lives in Vancouver with her family and two naughty cats.
Awards
- Winner, Red Maple Award
- Winner, Chocolate Lily Award
- Winner, Rocky Mountain Book Award
- Nominated, Carnegie Medal
- Short-listed, Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award
- Short-listed, Red Cedar Book Award
- Long-listed, Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award
- Winner, Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize
- Short-listed, Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards
- Nominated, Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award
- Short-listed, National Chapter IODE Violet Downey Award
- Short-listed, Snow Willow Award
- Long-listed, Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award
- Winner, National Chapter IODE Violet Downey Award
Editorial Reviews
One of CCBC’S Best Books for Kids & Teens (Spring 2019)
PRAISE FOR No Fixed Address:
“Felix's deeply engrossing and fully immersive first-person narrative of homelessness is both illuminating and heartbreaking. . . . [I]t's his winsome and affecting determination that will win readers over. An outstanding addition to the inadequate-parent genre.” —STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews
"A well-written work of realism that will be a mirror to some and a window for others. A first purchase." —STARRED REVIEW, School Library Journal
"A charming wonder of a book." —STARRED REVIEW, Quill & Quire
"This may be a story about poverty and depression, but there’s hope and humour at its heart." —The Guardian
"Though Felix’s wry observations keep things from getting too dark, this is also a straightforward look at the circumstances that can lead to homelessness. Clear-eyed and heartfelt." —Booklist
"A timely, funny and compassionate book with an endearing protagonist." —The Independent
"Nielsen uses great writing, terrific characters, humor, and heartbreak to keep readers turning pages. This book deserves readership well beyond her intended middle-grade audience." —San Francisco Book Review
"Felix is a compelling narrator. . . . Nielsen’s eye for detail . . . helps bring the story to life." —Horn Book
"Poignant and powerful without ever feeling overwrought, the topic of homelessness is treated in a way that invites thoughtful reflection. . . . Humor and heart abound in this extraordinary offering." —Canadian Children's Book News
"It is not often that a novel can provide such a great mix of memorable characters and pertinent, timely themes mixed with a good story and dashes of humour." —CM Magazine
"Susin Nielsen has written another book . . . that will touch the heart of every reader who opens the pages. No Fixed Address will make readers laugh, cry, and ask themselves: could this happen to me? No Fixed Address is a novel that belongs in every school, from elementary to secondary as well as public libraries." —Resource Links
Other titles by
Degrassi Junior High: 12 Book Set
Degrassi Junior High: Shane
Tremendous Things
Los optimistas mueren primero
Sin dirección fija
Princess Puffybottom . . . and Darryl
Optimists Die First
Becoming Fierce: Teen Stories IRL
The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen
Dear George Clooney
Please Marry My Mom
