Paper Things, Jennifer Richard Jacobson
Paper Things, Jennifer Richard Jacobson
4 Rating(s)
List: $35.99 | Sale: $25.20
Club: $17.99

Paper Things

Author: Jennifer Richard Jacobson

Narrator: Kate Rudd

Unabridged: 7 hr 3 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/10/2015


Synopsis

When forced to choose between staying with her guardian and being with her big brother, Ari chose her big brother. There's just one problem—Gage doesn't actually have a place to live.When Ari's mother died four years ago, she had two final wishes: that Ari and her older brother, Gage, would stay together always, and that Ari would go to Carter, the middle school for gifted students. So when eigheeen-year-old Gage decided he could no longer live with their bossy guardian, Janna, Ari knew she had to go with him—even though she'd miss baking cookies with Janna and curling up to watch HGTV. What Ari didn't realize was that Gage didn't have an apartment yet.And now, two months later, he still doesn't.He and Ari have been "couch surfing," staying with Gage's friend in his tiny apartment, crashing with Gage's girlfriend and two roommates, and if necessary, sneaking into a juvenile shelter to escape the cold Maine nights. But all of this jumping around makes it hard for Ari to keep up with her schoolwork, never mind her friendships, and getting into Carter starts to seem impossible. Will Ari be forced to break one of her promises to Mama?Told in an open, authentic voice, this nuanced story of hiding in plain sight may have listeners thinking about homelessness in a whole new way.

About Jennifer Richard Jacobson

Jennifer Richard Jacobson is a writer, teacher, educational consultant, editor, and speaker. She writes in many genres, from children’s fiction to adult nonfiction. Among her books for younger readers are the Andy Shane early chapter books, illustrated by Abby Carter, the middle-grade novel Small as an Elephant, and the young adult novels Stained and The Complete History of Why I Hate Her. About Paper Things, she says, “This story allowed me to think deeply about the kids I worry about: those who for one reason or another lose their foundation of support (or never quite had it), children with so much potential…and yet they fall through the cracks.” Jennifer Richard Jacobson lives in Cumberland, Maine.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jesse (JesseTheReader) on August 30, 2015

(3.5) This was all sorts of wonderful! My only complaint is that I felt it dragged a bit too much at times. Plus I didn't like some of the petty drama that went on with the main character and her friends. Other than that this was a fantastic story!......more

Goodreads review by Kate on January 19, 2018

Mom handed this book to me at the library, saying she thought it looked like a “Kate book”. Apparently, art + adoption/foster care + middle grade = Kate book. I really enjoyed it, though I’m not sure “enjoy” is the right word for a book about a homeless child. Even though I didn’t prefer the reason......more

Goodreads review by Lynn on March 04, 2015

I love that PAPER THINGS dealt with a difficult, it-could-never-happen-to-us, look-the-other-way topic of homelessness told from the perspective of 11-year-old Ari. She's a bright gifted kid who leaves her guardian's house to be with her older brother (who promises an apartment that never materializ......more

Goodreads review by Brian on November 04, 2014

This book had a big story and got held back by the simpleness of the main character. The character was written appropriately but telling the story from an 11 year old's perspective made a lot of the plot seem a bit like fluff. I didn't really care for all of the scenes in the Head Start daycare, nor......more

Goodreads review by Laurie on June 26, 2015

This book. This book! It stole my heart from the first page. It's the kind of book writers want to write. Ari is such a wonderfully written character. I loved everything about her. Homeless and hiding in plain sight. Heartbreaking and encouraging at the same time, this book covers all the feels. Eve......more