Excellent book on the topic of homelessness, on fostering, on finding ways to be a leader in your community even when you are having a really hard time. Also, great love expressed in a wide variety of ways, and friendship dynamics that model good and bad friendships. Contemporary large city, 5th grade protagonist, brother pulls her our of a stable foster home in order to maintain their family. Gage and Ari's situation is all too believable, and the storytelling is extremely effective at getting that across.

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When Ari and her older brother Gage were left orphans upon the death of their mother, they came under the guardianship of Janna. But Gage and Janna butted head constantly. And when Gage turns 18 (and this is where the book starts) he lies to Janna and tells her he has an apartment lined up, and he's moving out - and taking Ari with him.
But he doesn't have an apartment, or a job. The two are homeless. At first it isn't too bad spending a few nights with one of Gage's friends here or there, but in time, they've worn out their welcome and become street people.
All the while, Ari, once a shining academic star at her elementary school, is struggling to keep up her grades, and losing hope that she will be accepted to a prestigious local middle school that she's been dreaming would be her next step. Her best friends at school begin to shun her, as she is often unclean and distracted. But a boy in her grade who she'd never paid any attention to seems eager to befriend her, in spite of her body odor and greasy hair. Ari, and sometimes her brother too, get support from some unexpected people. As this is a middle grade book - you know things will all work out in the end.
The middle of the book is slow moving. Although this does make getting through that middle stretch a little dull, it's important. The reader needs to see and feel how worn down, miserable and exhausting being homeless is, even for a short time. The tedium of that middle stretch gives that emotional impact.
Only real drawback - I found it hard to swallow that Gage would voluntarily go out to be homeless and drag his 11-year-old sister with him; and that Janna would have so willingly allowed Ari to go with Gage, even if she did think he had an apartment lined up. ( )

Paper Things is a window into a world I hope my students do not have to experience in real life. Being homeless is a problem that does occur in our world so it is important that students have a way to understand the hardships that people go through. It is about so much more than just being homeless though, the characters in this book are so relatable and interesting. I was not able to put this book down, having to know what happened next to Ari(5th grade) and Gage(18). What really stood out is that the characters aren't perfect, but rather very human, making some great decisions and some bad ones that have repercussions. I'd recommend to 3rd-8th, but surely some high school students would still enjoy. ( )

Ari and her nineteen year old brother, Gage, have been living with Janna since their mother died a few years ago. One of her mother’s final wishes was that Gage and Ari would always stay together. But, things are different with Janna and a lot of days are a struggle for Gage. One day he loses his temper and decides to leave. Ari knows she has to go with him, even though her life with Janna is stable. Plus, Janna helps her with her homework at the school for the gifted that she attends (her mother’s other final wish) and she takes care of her. They have to stick together, so she goes with him. Janna thinks they are living in an apartment, but Gage hasn’t been able to find anything. Instead they have been staying with different friends and sleeping on couches. Other days they sleep in the car and occasionally the shelter. Ari doesn’t have a lot with her and she has to try her best to clean her school uniform, so no one will know she isn’t living with Janna anymore. Her favorite thing to do is to lay out her paper families. She cuts them out of catalogs and makes up stories about them. She knows them and they comfort her. Keeping track of your belongings isn’t easy when you are coming and going all the time, sometimes in a hurry. Can Ari and Gage continue trying to make it on their own? How will Ari continue at school with her ever changing living arrangements? Will Janna find out what is happening? Your heart will go out to Ari as you navigate her new life with her.

Paper Things by Jennifer Richard Jacobson was a book a library assistant told me I had to read because it was her favorite book. I took a picture of it with my cell phone, so I wouldn’t forget. Imagine my surprise a month later when I am at the Connecticut Children’s Book Fair and I see the cover of the book that’s on my phone. It was a delight to meet Jennifer Richard Jacobson and her presentation was so interesting. I was excited to start reading Paper Things and I was not disappointed. Ari tugged at my heart strings, and I kept thinking about the challenges in her life. Kids who are going through a tough time will find a character that they can relate to and be inspired by. I can understand how Ari’s paper families comforted her. I would recommend this book to anybody in fifth grade and up who likes a book that makes your heart ache for the main character, and you can’t help but hope it will have a happy ending. ( )

When Ari’s older brother, Gabe, doesn’t want to live with their guardian anymore, Ari chooses to leave with him and they become homeless. Gabe can’t find a steady enough job to get an apartment, so Ari and Gabe switch between staying with Gabe’s girlfriend and two roommates, Gabe’s friend in a tiny apartment, and sometimes a juvenile homeless shelter. All of this change makes it hard for Ari to keep up with school and her friends, particularly when she is trying to apply to Carter, the middle school for gifted students. The only constants in her life are Gabe and her paper things, the people from catalogs she cuts out to be her paper families. When things are getting too hard in her turbulent life, Ari manages to make new friendships and realize that she wasn’t alone through any of what she has been through, enabling her to get out of her homeless situation.

Paper Things is a beautiful book that will have the reader thinking more thoughtfully about homelessness. Ari is a strong, thoughtful character in spite of everything she goes through. She’s always positive and tough. Gabe is a great character too, willing to do whatever it takes to do what he thinks is best for Ari, even though he might not be right all of the time. The relationship between Gabe and Janna (their guardian) is never fully explained, so the reader is left wondering why Gabe is putting himself and his sister in such a difficult situation to get away from her. The ending is wrapped up a little too conveniently, but the lighthearted tone of the book makes it so the change from homelessness to not being homeless isn’t jarring. Paper Things shows that even though life can be difficult sometimes, there are still people around to help others get through hard times and have reason to hope for a brighter tomorrow. ( )