All the Ways Home

Written by Elsie Chapman

A boy's quest for belonging leads him to Japan, where family ties are tested.

4.0/5 Goodreads · 284 ratings

224 pages· 47,904 words· Est. 6.5 hour read

$16.99Save 6%

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Bookroo's summary

Kaede Hirano, grappling with his mother's death and a distant grandfather, faces a summer challenge: define 'home.' As he travels to Japan to reconnect with his estranged father and brother, Kaede hopes to mend broken bonds. But forging new connections proves harder than expected, and a pivotal decision will reshape his understanding of family and self. Can Kaede find where he truly belongs?

From the publisher

Sometimes, home isn’t where you expect to find it. After losing his mom in a fatal car crash, Kaede Hirano–now living with a grandfather who is more stranger than family–developed anger issues and spent his last year of middle school acting out. Best-friendless and critically in danger repeating the seventh grade, Kaede is given a summer assignment: write an essay about what home means to him, which will be even tougher now that he’s on his way to Japan to reconnect with his estranged father and older half-brother. Still, if there’s a chance Kaede can finally build a new family from an old one, he’s willing to try. But building new relationships isn’t as easy as destroying his old ones, and one last desperate act will change the way Kaede sees everyone–including himself. This is a book about what home means to us—and that there are many different correct answers.

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