There's No Place Like My Own Home

Join Alyssa on her first day at Lee Ponder Intermediate School as she faces the challenge of not only navigating a new school, making new friends, and learning about her teachers but also safeguarding a secret she’s determined to keep hidden, even from her new best friend, Onika. Little does anyone know that Alyssa and her mom are facing homelessness.

When Alyssa is given a writing assignment to compose a letter to a fellow student in Alabama whose life has been upended by a devastating tornado, she pours her emotions onto the pages. But when the letter goes missing, and Alyssa suspects it has fallen into the hands of Marcus, the school’s notorious bully, her world takes a dramatic turn.

“There’s No Place Like My Own Home” is a touching story that resonates with young readers from second grade and beyond. Parents, educators, children, counselors, and more have praised the book for delivering a powerful message: “Although Alyssa and her mom are homeless, they are not hopeless.”

This book integrates with classroom Standards of Learning subjects like Language Arts, Health, Social Studies, Government, and Public Speaking. It also serves as a valuable resource for Social-Emotional Learning, covering themes such as kindness, gratitude, effective conflict resolution, positive self-image, reducing aggressive behavior, mastering self-control, emotional management, goal setting, building positive relationships, and problem-solving. In addition, the book carries a strong anti-bullying message, promoting empathy and compassion among young readers.