Written by Jansen Marks
Joy truly has all she needs. A home with her own room, piano lessons which will help her be a movie composer, and a great school. Suddenly her life is uprooted when her dad loses his job. Home suddenly becomes a small two bedroom apartment with thin walls, a shared room with her little sister, and arguing between mom and dad. She has also lost the ability to practice piano and take lessons due to finances. Joy really needs somewhere to get away and think.
One of the tenants in the building introduces her to the hideout where other teens in the building go. Here Joy meets a mystery friend who leaves her messages on the hideout walls. This person also seems to have struggles of her own. Who could it be?
This book is a great read about finding friends in new places, and teaches home is where the ones you love are. It also shows how all people have issues and problems if you really look around, as Joy meets and becomes friends with the other kids. I really like how this book shows a sense of community formed in the apartment building and how neighbors help and look out for each other.
Reviewed by Jalene Magee, Media Clerk, Redwood Elementary
Review shared in June 2021
Rating: ★★★★★ (5 stars)
Interest Level: Grades 3-5
Author Website: http://www.janaemarks.com/
A Soft Place to Land
Written by Jansen Marks
Katherine Tegen Books
288 pages
Release Date: September 14, 2021
ISBN: 9780062875877
An advance readers copy was provided by the publisher.
