Almost Home

Seven teenagers take turns telling their stories of the reasons they ended up on the streets of Los Angeles. From familial abuse to unsettled dreams to questions of identity, these teens may or may not find what they’re looking for from each other.

ALMOST HOME is the kind of dark, gritty, and painfully real contemporary YA novel that I don’t find myself reading often. Yet if that’s what you’re looking for, then you should read this book. If we’re lucky, most of us will never find ourselves in these teenagers’ situations, but the way Jessica Blank writes about them and their conflicted emotions and desires is mesmerizing. The words on the page are brutally honest, yet lyrical, kind of like seeing a devastating scene in the show more glow of dazzling dawn light. And what the characters all want are things we can relate to: belonging, love, understanding. ALMOST HOME is compelling, and while you may not even like it while you’re reading it, afterwards you will feel glad that you did. show less

If your looking for a Cinderella fairy tale with a happy ending this isn’t the book for you. But if you're interested in something real and meaningful, this is right down your alley.Almost Home tells the story of seven young people living on the streets of Hollywood. They are all there for different reasons, but most of them have fled abusive homes. There are seven parts or chapters to the book. Each chapter is told in one of their perspectives.Their stories are so real and raw. There is rough language and gritty details of sex and drug use. What disturbed me the most was Eeyore’s story. She was only twelve years old when she fled her home because she was being sexually abused by her step brother and tormented by the kids at school. show more Her home is so close, yet she would rather live on the streets and go days without food then enable herself to live in the world she left.It was eye-opening story for me, when I think of someone homeless a teenage runaway doesn’t pop into my head. Yet this is an issue that affects more than 1.5 million teens. Amongst all the books I’ve read of the elite and fortunate it was refreshing and at the same time deeply disturbing to read about the other end of the spectrum.I truly admire Jessica’s compassion for this subject and even more so for bringing this topic to attention. This is one of those books that will make an impact on the way you think of the world. I hope to see more from Jessica Blank in the future. show less

A very well-written story of a group of homeless teenagers on the streets of LA. Each character has their own segment, which are skillfully woven together through their common interaction with one particular runaway girl.

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Jessica Blank writes a gritty, raw novel of life on the street for a mismatched group of young kids. Oftentimes graphic and bleak, she crafts a story that reads like a documentary of life on the streets in L.A. Seven individual paths are interwoven with each other, showing that you can touch more lives than you realize.

Eeyore, aka Elly, is the youngest of the bunch. After an embarrassing encounter at school, street smart Tracy takes her under her wing, and Elly runs away from home. Eeyore is not only running from the humiliation of school, but from a horrible home secret that no one would believe.

Rusty is in love with his male teacher, Jim. They were found out and Jim told Rusty to go to Hollywood show more and he would meet him there once he ties up all the loose ends at home. But it's been over a month and Jim isn't returning his calls and he's running out of money and options fast.

Critter is a drug dealer who has also taken Eeyore under his wing. She adores him and follows him around like a baby bird. Critter tries to protect her from the seedier side of life on the street - drugs and pimps.

Tracy is the weak thread that intertwines through all their lives yet has an unknown quality that captivates everyone. With stringy hair, bad teeth, and empty eyes, Tracy has seen far too much for her young age.

Along with these four and three others, the rough, harsh life of runaways and throwaways is written in a bleak style in ALMOST HOME. Told through the eyes of each of the characters, the reader is left with a new awareness of the realities that can cause young adults to run away from home and family. Many are hoping for a better life from the one they knew, only to find that there are different problems that they will face, such as homelessness, hunger, and poverty. show less

This was a very readable story of a group of loosely attached streetkids in LA. I take issue with the sexified cover - it's fishents and combat boots while many times in the book everyone's clothing is described as dingy, dirty, jeans and wifebeaters. Oh well. Definitely great for kids or adults living this life or interested in hard knock stories. Content is pretty intense - there are rape scenes, incest, dudes hitting girls, lots of drug use and cursing; that said, there are some young teens whom I would recommend this book to -- ones that are worldly and/or already going through some of the stuff the book covers. I'm thinking of doing a blog post re: homeless awareness - maybe this book, "Wendy and Lucy" "Great Speeches From a Dying show more World" (though there hasn't been a DVD release of that, yet) and some other books or movie. Any suggestions? show less

This tale of homeless teens suffers from the fact that each character's voice blends seamlessly into the next, rendering them indistinguishable to me. I found it weak, overall.

Eeyore, a twelve year old who is abused by her stepbrother and harrassed at school, runs away when she meets Tracy, another street kids.
We meet Rusty, Squid, Scabius and Laura, all living on the streets of LA. They try to form relationships, but all have problems with trust, as they all suffered from some type of abuse at home or at school.
They fall into drugs and prostitution as ways to survive. They become numb in order to survive, which is one of the saddest parts of the book