A Duet for Home

Following the unexpected death of her father, her mother’s subsequent retreat into silence, and an eviction, viola-playing June Yang and her Chinese American family move to Huey House, a Bronx shelter for unhoused people. Sixth grader Tyrell, who is Black and Chinese, knows Huey House “better than anyone,” having lived there for three years; to atone for a cafeteria prank gone wrong, he offers to help June find a place to secretly practice her forbidden viola. Brief, alternating third-person chapters detail June’s struggle to adjust, navigating a lengthy bus commute and her embarrassment about the family’s new circumstances, alongside Tyrell’s mastery of the shelter’s rhythms and inhabitants. When Tyrell overhears a plot by the Huey House director to push families out of the shelter after only 90 days “to see lower homeless numbers,” he and June know they must act to save it. Inspired by her years of work in the New York City shelter system, Yan Glaser’s (the Vanderbeekers series) bighearted standalone moves quickly through its complex plot without forsaking strong characterizations of Huey House’s many staff and residents, concluding with a potent message about the power of direct action. Ages 8–12. Agent: Ginger Clark, Ginger Clark Literary. (Apr.)