Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting

CONTROVERSIAL BOOK:
This books is about a young boy and his dad who are homeless and living in an airport. The story has some very somber and serious themes and characters. For example, there are a pair of homeless drunks that get caught living in the airport and are kicked out. Also, the boy's dad is a janitor who is only currently working on the weekends and making very little money. The family used to have an apartment before the boy's mother died, and the boy wishes for life to be back to "the way it was, before mom died." The very simple illustrations work well to convey the serious subject matter and airport setting. I really enjoyed the use of light and shading in the illustrations. I believe this story would be considered controversial because it centers around a homeless family and the death of a mother. However, I found this book to be very engaging and would certainly use it with grades 4 or above.