Middle Grade, Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends, May 28th, 2019
Sometimes, home isn’t where you expect to find it.
After losing his mom in a fatal car crash, Kaede Hirano–now living with a grandfather who is more stranger than family–developed anger issues and spent his last year of middle school acting out.
Best-friendless and critically in danger repeating the seventh grade, Kaede is given a summer assignment: write an essay about what home means to him, which will be even tougher now that he’s on his way to Japan to reconnect with his estranged father and older half-brother. Still, if there’s a chance Kaede can finally build a new family from an old one, he’s willing to try. But building new relationships isn’t as easy as destroying his old ones, and one last desperate act will change the way Kaede sees everyone–including himself.
This is a book about what home means to us—and that there are many different correct answers.
(Cover art: Lynn Scurfield)
“In All the Ways Home, Elsie Chapman gracefully explores the complexities of family and loss. The specificity in which Chapman narrates Kaede’s journey in Japan is particularly satisfying. An insightful, compassionate, and honest look at a young boy’s search for identity and home after the death of his mother.”―Veera Hiranandani, author of Newbery Honor novel The Night Diary
“All the Ways Home is a moving story of grief, cultural identity, and self-knowledge, and Kaede Hirano is an unforgettable protagonist. Elsie Chapman has done something wonderful here.”―Mike Jung, author of Unidentified Suburban Object
“Honest and real–and filled with heart and hope―All the Ways Home is a story that sticks with you long after the last page.”―Shannon Messenger, New York Times bestselling author of Keeper of the Lost Cities series
“A heartbreaking, hopeful, and triumphant exploration of forgiveness, family, and the meaning of home. Elsie Chapman brings a new meaning to the power of words in her middle grade debut.”―Kheryn Callender, author of the Stonewall Book Award novel, Hurricane Child
“A gorgeous warm hug of a book. All the Ways Home broke my heart and made it better again, and I cheered for Kaede’s perfect ending.”―Stephanie Burgis, author of The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart
“Chapman weaves a tale of a boy who is broken and lost, trying to redefine who he is in what is left of his family. Scenic descriptions are vivid and unique, and blend with frequent Japanese terms throughout to take the reader on a virtual experience of Tokyo’s sights, sounds, and culture. Kaede’s brother Shoma is a star of the story as a calm and stable force for the protagonist, whether he trusts him or not. VERDICT A heartbreaking yet vibrant journey through Japan that would make a great summer read. Offer to strong and adventurous readers.”―School Library Journal
“Chinese Canadian Chapman writes convincingly about both Vancouver and Japan (where she now resides), and her lyrical text successfully addresses loss, family, and cultural identity.”―Booklist
“…A novel rich with the sensory details of life in Tokyo and the complexities of a young boy finding his way.”―Horn Book
2019 Freeman Book Award Winner – Young Adult/Middle School Literature
A Forest of Reading 2021 Silver Birch Fiction Award Nominee
Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year
ALA 2020 Notable Children’s Books List Nominee
elsie chapman 