Homesick: My Own Story

by Jean Fritz Narrated by Jean Fritz

Overview

This heartwarming fictionalized autobiography tells the story of what it is like for a little girl to be growing up in an unfamiliar place. While other girls her age were enjoying childhood in America, Jean Fritz was in China in the midst of political unrest. During this time, foreigners were becoming more and more unpopular, and evacuation at a moment's notice was imminent. Although Jean appreciated the beauty of China-the mountains, the countryside, the sea-she knew she belonged in America and longed to make her home there.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Fritz's Newbery Honor-winning memoir of growing up during a turbulent time in China's history is "rich in the telling observations of sights, sounds and people," said PW. Ages 8-12. (Aug.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

From the Publisher

"Told with an abundance of humor—sometimes wry, sometimes mischievous and irreverent—the story is vibrant with atmosphere, personalities, and a palpable sense of place." —Horn Book

"Fritz draws the readers into scenes from her youth in the turbulent China of the mid-twenties. One comes to appreciate the generous affection of her nurse/companion Lin Nai-Nai, the isolating distance in her mother's grief over losing a second child, the dynamics of a suffering population venting its hostility on foreigners, and most of all, the loneliness of a child's exile from a homeland she has imagined constantly but never seen. . . A remarkable blend of truth and storytelling." —Booklist, starred review

"An insightful memory's-eye-view of her childhood . . . portrayed in an unfolding of events, many of which are extremely touching. . . Young Jean is a strong character, and many of her reactions to people and events are timeless and universal." —School Library Journal, starred review

"It is a rare writer who can capture the intense feelings and bittersweet flavor of childhood as honestly and convincingly as Jean Fritz does." —The New Yorker

"Every now and then a book comes along that makes me want to send a valentine to its author. Homesick is such a book. . . Pungent and delicious." —Katherine Patterson, The Washington Post

"Fritz's Newbery Honor-winning memoir of growing up during a turbulent time in China's history is 'rich in the telling observations of sights, sounds and people.'" —Publishers Weekly



A Newbery Honor Book
An American Book Award Winner
Christopher Award Winner
Winner of the Child Study Children’s Book Committee (Bank Street College) Children’s Book Award
An IRA Teachers’ Choice
An NCTE Teachers’ Choice
A Boston Globe­–­Horn Book Honor Book
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year
New York Public Library’s 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
A Booklist Editors’ Choice
A Booklist Best of the 1980s

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169607550
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	11/01/2013
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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