No Fixed Address, Susin Nielsen
No Fixed Address, Susin Nielsen
List: $19.00 | Sale: $13.30
Club: $9.50

No Fixed Address

Author: Susin Nielsen

Narrator: Nissae Isen

Unabridged: 5 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tundra Books

Published: 09/11/2018


Synopsis

From beloved Governor General Literary Award--winning author Susin Nielsen comes a touching and funny middle-grade story about family, friendship and growing up when you're one step away from homelessness.

Felix Knuttson, twelve, is an endearing kid with an incredible brain for trivia. His mom Astrid is loving but unreliable; she can't hold onto a job, or a home. When they lose their apartment in Vancouver, they move into a camper van, just for August, till Astrid finds a job. September comes, they're still in the van; Felix must keep "home" a secret and give a fake address in order to enroll in school. Luckily, he finds true friends. As the weeks pass and life becomes grim, he struggles not to let anyone know how precarious his situation is. When he gets to compete on a national quiz show, Felix is determined to win -- the cash prize will bring them a home. Their luck is about to change! But what happens is not at all what Felix expected.

About The Author

"This is the first day I've written in a diary. The reason I am, is 'cos I love writing stories, and if I do grow up to be a famous writer, and later die, and they want to get a story of my life, I guess I should keep a diary." Nielsen wrote this poorly constructed sentence when she was eleven. And while she isn't exactly famous, she did predict her future. She got her start writing for the hit TV series Degrassi Junior High and went on to write for more than twenty Canadian shows. Susin is the author of five critically acclaimed and award-winning titles, including Optimists Die FirstWe Are All Made of Molecules, and The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen. Nielsen lives in Vancouver with her family and two naughty cats. Visit her at susinnielsen.com; on Facebook at Susin Nielsen, Author; and on Twitter at @susinnielsenNISSAE ISEN has been in the voiceover industry since the tender age of 7 when she played ‘George’, Miss BG’s very precocious baby brother. One of five children, Nissae maintains regular work in the entertainment business while studying very hard with the help of her cat Kovu to complete her university degree in nursing in her hometown of Toronto. Having appeared in over 20+ animated projects, a couple notable leads include ‘Yuri’ in My Big Big Friend’ and ‘Kody’ in ‘Kody Kapow.’ Yes, a lot of male roles, and yes, Nissae is a woman!


Reviews

Goodreads review by Reading_ on October 25, 2022

This story talks about being homeless and how the people under such circumstances are trying to survive especially when it involves a young single mother and a 12 year old boy. The story brings up in parts about domestic violence, abandonment, homophobia, substance abuse, depression and grief which I......more

Goodreads review by Mel (Epic Reading) on April 15, 2019

There are difficult topics and there are ones where socially we like to pretend they don't exist. Susin Nielsen has brought a hard topic, children who are homeless, to the forefront. Set in Vancouver, the homeless capital of Canada due to it's temperate weather, No Fixed Address is a moving and tear......more

Goodreads review by Lady Clementina on August 02, 2018

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK Children’s Publishers for a review copy of this one. This was such a wonderful wonderful read for me—heart-breaking, and cute, and making me smile a little all at the same time. The story is told in the voice of twelve-and-three-quarters-year-old Fe......more

Goodreads review by Corinne on May 21, 2020

Felix leads the whole story. And beautifully... I felt like he was a real person all along the novel. I fully understood his needs and emotions, and can share some of his life experience also. He was very much alive. I love the end, the last sentence is : "And I am choosing to believe"......more

Goodreads review by Whispering on March 23, 2020

Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com Twelve-year-old Felix lives in a van with his mum Astrid in Vancouver, Canada. They used to live with his Grandmother but when she died they had to move into an apartment, but then they lost that and moved around into smaller places until they ended up livin......more


Quotes

One of CCBC’S Best Books for Kids & Teens (Spring 2019)

PRAISE FOR No Fixed Address: 

“Felix's deeply engrossing and fully immersive first-person narrative of homelessness is both illuminating and heartbreaking. . . . [I]t's his winsome and affecting determination that will win readers over. An outstanding addition to the inadequate-parent genre.” —STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews

"A well-written work of realism that will be a mirror to some and a window for others. A first purchase." —STARRED REVIEW, School Library Journal

"A charming wonder of a book." —STARRED REVIEW, Quill & Quire

"This may be a story about poverty and depression, but there’s hope and humour at its heart." —The Guardian

"Though Felix’s wry observations keep things from getting too dark, this is also a straightforward look at the circumstances that can lead to homelessness. Clear-eyed and heartfelt." —Booklist

"A timely, funny and compassionate book with an endearing protagonist." —The Independent

"Nielsen uses great writing, terrific characters, humor, and heartbreak to keep readers turning pages. This book deserves readership well beyond her intended middle-grade audience." —San Francisco Book Review

"Felix is a compelling narrator. . . .  Nielsen’s eye for detail . . . helps bring the story to life." —Horn Book

"Poignant and powerful without ever feeling overwrought, the topic of homelessness is treated in a way that invites thoughtful reflection. . . . Humor and heart abound in this extraordinary offering." —Canadian Children's Book News

"It is not often that a novel can provide such a great mix of memorable characters and pertinent, timely themes mixed with a good story and dashes of humour." —CM Magazine

"Susin Nielsen has written another book . . . that will touch the heart of every reader who opens the pages. No Fixed Address will make readers laugh, cry, and ask themselves: could this happen to me?  No Fixed Address is a novel that belongs in every school, from elementary to secondary as well as public libraries." —Resource Links


Awards

  • Carnegie Medal
  • Chocolate Lily Award
  • Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award
  • Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award
  • Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award
  • Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award
  • National Chapter IODE Violet Downey Award
  • Red Cedar Book Award
  • Red Maple Award
  • Rocky Mountain Book Award
  • Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards
  • Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize
  • Snow Willow Award