At Home in a Faraway Place

In this conversational illustrated travelogue by Perkins (Violet and Jobie in the Wild), a tween discovers friendship that transcends a language barrier and the exhilarating mysteries of an unfamiliar environment. While visiting her father’s high school friend Raúl in “a part of the world where most people speak Spanish,” white-cued Lissie catalogs the things she observes and the ways they make her feel; a looming nearby volcano unsettles her, but she is charmed by gardens inside people’s homes and muses that “maybe there are a lot of different ways to make a house.” She cheerfully collects Spanish words and phrases and incorporates them into her narration, which proves useful as she befriends Flory, the Spanish-speaking daughter of Raúl’s girlfriend. A trip to the ruins of a Mayan pyramid spurs thoughtful conversation between Lissie, her grandmother, and the tour guide, giving Lissie further opportunity to ponder her place in time and space and ruminate on the connection she feels to this new place. Realistic full-page b&w illustrations punctuate the narrative, evoking a gentle episodic feel to the plot and emphasizing Lissie’s wide-eyed insights. Ages 8–12. (Feb.)