At Home in a Faraway Place
“an enriching, inspiring, and well-crafted story for young readers. It blends adventure, friendship, courage, and the transformative power of travel into a bilingual package.”
Targeted for eight- to eleven-year-old readers, At Home in a Faraway Place is a simple and charming story of a life-changing experience.
Young Lissie takes a trip with her father and grandmother far away from her home, her culture, her friends, and her language, to visit an old family friend, Raúl, and his family. Going so far abroad for the first time, Lissie is anxious about how she will fit in, especially since she doesn’t speak Spanish.
The warm reception Lissie receives as soon as she arrives in Raúl’s home more than makes up for the travel wear and tear. Her anxiety about her language skills quickly dissipates with her first look out the window, through the garden, to a steaming volcano in the not so far distance. El volcán becomes one of her first words in Spanish and she asks everyone in sight what the chances are of a full eruption. An erupting volcano seems scarier than learning Spanish, and she turns her language barrier into a game to integrate into her home-away-from-home and master as much Spanish as a possible with her new friends.
What makes At Home in a Faraway Place particularly touching is its exploration of friendship in an unfamiliar place. It reminds readers that while being away from home can be challenging, it also opens doors to new relationships and life-changing experiences. Making friends is also one of the easiest ways to learn a new language. Lissie’s courage to reach out and engage with the local kids is rewarded with what she hopes will be lifelong friendships.
As she navigates the unfamiliar surroundings, visits new places, and plays with new kids, the story unfolds with themes of language, friendship, and belonging. Each chapter blends the Spanish language into the artwork, reinforcing new vocabulary words with the storyline. The reader learns some Spanish alongside Lissie, demonstrating that it’s not as intimidating to learn a new language as she anticipated.
The gentle dynamic between Lissie, her father, and her grandmother is also a key element of the story. The three characters bring different perspectives and experiences to the table, enriching the narrative and giving readers a sense of familial support and warmth. The generational bond between the grandmother and the young girl shows how family can play a vital role in navigating new cultural landscapes. They share significant moments at a sacred Mayan pyramid that adds depth to the relationship and Lissie’s understanding of humanity.
The downside to the project is that the interior illustrations are black and white. The vibrant colors and sophisticated nuances of the cover drawings are lost in the black and white versions and fail to showcase Perkins’s considerable artistic talents. It would be so beautiful to see el parque (the park), la casacada (the waterfall), el mercado (the market), and the abundance of artwork brilliantly illuminated throughout, making the cover less of a tease.
Overall, At Home in a Faraway Place is an enriching, inspiring, and well-crafted story for young readers. It blends adventure, friendship, courage, and the transformative power of travel into a bilingual package.