AT HOME IN A FARAWAY PLACE

A young traveler finds home in another land.

Alongside her grandma, Lissie joins her father on a two-week trip to visit his old friend Raúl in an unnamed Latin American country, referred to as a “faraway place.” Though she knows very little about the world around her, her adventures provide plenty of opportunities to learn and grow, whether through impromptu Spanish lessons from Raúl and a new friend at the park, soccer sessions with neighborhood kids, or a hike up a volcano that “spits out lava and ashes sometimes.” Throughout each brief, delightful chapter, Newbery Medalist Perkins adeptly weaves in bucolic, whimsical black-and-white illustrations—some full page, many in panels—that serve as humorous snapshots, phonetic translations (including a phrase in Kaqchikel, an Indigenous Mesoamerican language), or both. Visits to Mayan pyramids and a bustling, humming mercado make for informative, fun explorations. Lissie even forges a tight bond with a girl named Flory. As her escapades conclude, Lissie feels fully at home in this faraway place. Ending on a wistful note, this leisurely, earnest tale devoted to “tiny friendships” and their cumulative effects emphasizes small moments of bliss and gentle understanding. Lissie appears light-skinned; the friends she meets are darker-hued.

A warmhearted introduction to the joys of travel.