Other Words for Home is a 2020 Newbery Honor Book.  This book is everything that quality children’s literature should aspire to; it is lyrical, poignant, and thought-provoking.  Written in verse, it is a quick, but powerful read.  As an American, it was humbling to hear myself described through the voice of a refugee immigrant; Jude’s observations were insightful, but it wasn’t always a great feeling to recognize the truths in them.  The character Jude is kind, a rare characteristic in fictional characters.

The Newbery Selection Committee has been criticized for their tendency to select art-sy or literary novels, rather than the more popular novels that middle grade readers naturally gravitate towards.  Other Words for Home is not likely a book the average middle schooler will pull off the shelf for pleasure reading, but it is a valuable book that should probably be placed in the hands of young readers by a parent or a teacher and then discussed.  The best books help the reader walk in another person’s shoes or visit places far from home, and this novel accomplishes both.

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  None

Violence/Gore:  Pictures in newspaper of people injured in war; reports of protests; reports of military groups taking over a near-by city; raid on apartment by police looking to arrest protesters (brief); character thinks American’s are obsessed with murder based on TV shows; report that a family member is going to a town where there is fighting; report that violence and explosions happened in another city; graffiti on walls of a business.

Sex/Nudity:  Reference to bleeding between legs (period); reference to prostitutes in movie; reference to kissing on TV shows; character has her first period.

Mature Subject Matter:

War, refugees, immigration, prejudice, discrimination, family separation.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

None