A Stronger Home

Gr 2-4–Not for the faint of heart, this book follows the journey of a boy and his mother as they escape family violence. The title informs the meaning of the story’s structure: The pair, who have tan skin and dark hair, move from house to house, each one “stronger” than the last until they return full-circle to the original house they fled, which becomes, with the support of an array of neighbors and family of various skin colors, the strongest house of them all. The violence from “his fists” is depicted as a storm inside the first house, a metaphor that is extended into the pages that helps soften the content for readers. However, the storm doesn’t appear again, and so it’s unclear as to whether it—or him—is in pursuit of the characters as they move into and out of multiple houses. It’s true that people who are unhoused often move through available dwellings, but the story doesn’t address this point. Instead, it simply says, “With every new house, I feel stronger,” without explaining the source of that growing strength. A note at the end explains that sometimes “people experiencing domestic violence leave their residence for a time, even if the abuser is no longer there.” While true, this sentiment is not addressed fully in the narrative. The child’s first-person narration doesn’t divulge any gender, although the author’s note lets readers know it is a mother and son, as well as based on true storms from her childhood in East Asia.