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Summary
Summary
Kirby "Zig" Zigonski lives for the world of simple circuits, light bulbs, buzzers, and motors. Electronics are, after all, much more predictable than most people--especially his father, who he hasn't seen in over a year. When his dad's latest visit is canceled with no explanation and his mom seems to be hiding something, Zig turns to his best friend Gianna and a new gizmo--a garage sale GPS unit--for help. Convinced that his dad is leaving clues around town to explain his absence, Zig sets out to find him. Following one clue after another, logging mile after mile, Zig soon discovers that people aren't always what they seem . . . and sometimes, there's more than one set of coordinates for home.
An important story of love and hope that will capture readers' hearts, The Exact Location of Home is another must read from beloved author Kate Messner.
Author Notes
Kate Messner is passionately curious and writes books that encourage kids to wonder, too. Her titles include award-winning picture books like Over and Under the Snow , Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt , and How to Read a Story ; novels like Capture the Flag, All the Answers, The Seventh Wish, and Breakout; the Fergus and Zeke easy reader series, and the Ranger in Time historical chapter book series. Kate lives on Lake Champlain with her family and is trying to summit all forty-six Adirondack High Peaks in between book deadlines.
www.katemessner.com
@KateMessner
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-7-Thirteen-year-old science and electronics enthusiast Zig hasn't had a visit from his father in more than a year. Zig's mother won't explain why, so he begins looking for clues in local geocaches. Meanwhile, Zig's mother fails to pay the rent and they move into a homeless shelter after a short stay with Zig's aunt Becka, who lives with an abusive husband. Messner describes the mundane details of hard realities. The shelter is perfectly safe, but there are no school supplies. Zig shows up for his school's free breakfast and finds out that his friend Ruby regularly attends. His teacher lectures the class about "the less fortunate," as if poverty and homelessness are issues that no child she knows has to handle. The author offers realistic but hopeful resolutions to many of Zig's problems. The geocache trail doesn't locate Zig's father, but it does lead to a job for his mother. Aunt Becka doesn't leave her husband, but she knows that Zig's mother is there for support. There is no question that life will bring problems, but it's just as certain that friends and family can help. Vivid characters and situations, along with clear, simple writing and plotting, make this an accessible and enlightening read. VERDICT A gentle but truthful look at poverty and homelessness for fans of realistic middle grade novels, such as Gary Schmidt's Okay for Now and Messner's The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z., in which Zig is a secondary character.-Lisa Goldstein, Brooklyn Public Library © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
First seen in Messner's first novel, The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z., Kirby "Zig" Zigonski loves tinkering and appreciates the way that "everything fits" in a simple electrical circuit. Zig lives with his mother, who both works and is studying to become a nurse, but he can't wait to see his father, who travels for his real estate business. When his father cancels an upcoming visit and Zig's mother won't say why, Zig decides to track down his dad using an old GPS unit and following clues he believes his father is leaving in geocache stashes around town. When Zig and his mother are evicted and forced to move into a shelter, Zig is caught between shame, anger, and a determination to find his father. Messner delivers a sensitive and realistic portrayal of financial stress, the realities of living in a shelter, and how both take a toll. Zig's crush on Gianna and the mystery surrounding Zig's father will keep readers hooked, but it's his bonds with his mother and friends that will stay with them. Ages 8-12. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary. (Sept) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Kirby Zigonski doesn't understand why his mother, who's barely making ends meet, won't ask his father for money, or why Zig hasn't seen him in over a year. After the family is kicked out of its apartment, Zig redoubles his efforts to track down Dad--and thinks he's found a lead through geocaching clues. Messner presents a sensitive portrayal of housing instability and family secrets. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Following the precise coordinates of geocaching doesn't yield the treasure Kirby Zagonski Jr. seeks: his missing father. Geeky eighth-grader Kirby can't understand why his mother won't call his dad after their generous landlady dies and they're evicted for nonpayment of rent. Though his parents have been divorced for several years and his father, a wealthy developer, has been unreliable, Kirby is sure he could help. Instead he and his mother move to the Community Hospitality Center, a place "for the poor. The unfortunate. The homeless." Suddenly A-student Kirby doesn't have a quiet place to do his schoolwork or even a working pencil. They share a "family room" with a mother and young son fleeing abuse. Trying to hide this from his best friends, Gianna and Ruby, is a struggle, especially as they spend after-school hours together. The girls help him look for the geocaches visited by "Senior Searcher," a geocacher Kirby is sure is his father. There are ordinary eighth-grade complications in this contemporary friendship tale, too; Gianna just might be a girlfriend, and there's a dance coming up. Kirby's first-person voice is authentic, his friends believable, and the adults both sometimes helpful and sometimes unthinkingly cruel. The setting is the largely white state of Vermont, but the circumstances could be anywhere. Middle school worries and social issues skillfully woven into a moving, hopeful, STEM-related tale. (Fiction. 10-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Learning that Dad has (once again) canceled his plans to visit isn't exactly a surprise to 13-year-old Zig. But after a year without seeing his father, it's a major disappointment. Zig spends his free time geocaching with friends. Soon, with little money for food and none for rent, he and his mother move into a homeless shelter. He avoids telling even his best friend, Gianna, about their situation. When his teacher schedules a class visit to the shelter, Zig dreads discovery, but more painful is his mother's eventual revelation that his father is in prison. Messner creates a sympathetic character in Zig, whose narration reflects his believable unwillingness to take his father off a pedestal throughout most of the novel. Within the story, Messner gently overturns some stereotypes about homeless shelters and their residents. The narrative flows well and sweeps readers along, though the conclusion ties up loose ends too quickly and neatly. Still, readers hoping for a happy ending will not be disappointed. A companion book to The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z (2009).--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2017 Booklist
