Her parents are both dead, and a friend of her mother, Janna, has been guardian to Ari and her older brother, Gage, for the past few years. Ari’s struggle to stay afloat as the bottom drops out of her world is compelling, however, and readers will be glad to see her successfully negotiate her divided loyalties and find a safe home. by Jennifer Richard Jacobson RELEASE DATE: Feb. There’s too much going on in the story, however, with Ari’s being orphaned, her exploration of her guardian’s past with her father, her desire to bring back school traditions, her growing friendship with a supportive classmate, and so on, in addition to her homelessness Ari’s dilemma is poignant but also purposive, with messages about the problem of homelessness sometimes drowning out the story. Related books to read are 'Alice-Miranda at School: 10th Anniversary Edition', 'The Secret Horses of Briar Hill' and 'Just Under the Clouds'. Jacobson writes with accessible fluency, and Ari’s longing for the family she doesn’t have is made clear in her attachment to her Paper Things, a collection of cutout figures from catalogues that have become a beloved pretend family. If you liked Paper Things you are looking for realistic fiction type books. Once the school golden girl, Ari slides there into exhaustion and disarray, endangering her application to Carter Middle School, which has long been her dream her unkempt appearance also starts eliciting social scorn, so she remains even more determined to hide the truth (“We’re just between homes,” she tells herself). Unfortunately, Gage doesn’t really have any place to go, so he and Ari, now homeless, alternate between slipping illicitly into a local shelter and crashing with friends. The only family eleven-year-old Ari has left in the world is her nineteen-year-old brother, Gage, so when he decides in anger to leave their legal guardian’s house Ari goes with him.
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