No Fixed Address by Susan Nielsen

Publisher: Andersen Press

Publication Date: October 4th, 2018

Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction

Buy Links: Kinokuniya Malaysia | MPH Online

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Source: Thank you Pansing for the review copy in exchange for an honest review

Rating: 4.5★

Blurbs

Felix Knutsson is nearly thirteen, lives with his mother and pet gerbil Horatio, and is brilliant at memorising facts and trivia. So far, pretty normal. But Felix and his mom Astrid have a secret: they are living in a van. Astrid promises it’s only for a while until she finds a new job, and begs Felix not to breathe a word about it. So when Felix starts at a new school, he does his very best to hide the fact that most of his clothes are in storage, he only showers weekly at the community centre, and that he doesn’t have enough to eat. When his friends Dylan and Winnie ask to visit, Felix always has an excuse.

But Felix has a plan to turn his and Astrid’s lives around: he’s going to go on his favourite game show Who, What, Where, When and win the cash prize. All he needs is a little luck and a lot of brain power . . .

Susan Nielsen deftly combines humor, heartbreak, and hope in this moving story about people who slip through the cracks in society, and about the power of friendship and community to make all the difference.

This story is very straight forward and felt very realistic as it happened in our community - the Homeless people. Felix is nearly 13 years old and he lives with his mother, Astrid. After they been evicted from their house they have to look for other places to stay however their finances do not allow them to do so instead Felix's mother decided to live in a van. Astrid said it was only temporary but as time goes by it has been more than a month. Felix might be a 13 years old boy but he is very strong, has an amazing brain power in which he has been selected to participate in one of the amazing TV game shows. That was a dream come true to him. 

Honestly, it was a heartbreaking story but at the same time, the humor has put a smile on my face. Felix's life was really tough makes me want to hug him. The friendship between Felix and his two best friends are amazing. They don't judge him, they helped me in which it makes Felix's happy. While Astrid, I understood what had happened throughout her life but I'm hoping that she might be able to do the best as she can to give Felix happiness that he deserves. 

It was a well-written story. The way the author has craft such an amazing character especially Felix. He is a strong, mature, funny, and responsible. I like the fact that this story is such an eye-opener. You never know other people's trouble their facing and how hard they are trying to hide it from being judged. Also, never judge people. Be kind is not that hard. All in all, I totally recommended you to read this book.

No Fixed Address is available at all good bookstores.