A Duet for Home

Signed and personalized copies available at Books of Wonder!

Three starred reviews!

"This is a hopeful and inspiring story about the lives of children who are rarely represented in middle-grade fiction. The young people engage in activism that is both thought-provoking and profound. A powerful, heartwarming, and thoughtful tale of kids cultivating chosen families during challenging circumstances."
-- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Yan Glaser's bighearted standalone moves quickly through its complex plot without forsaking strong characterizations of Huey House's many staff and residents, concluding with a potent message about the power of direct action."
-- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Glaser infuses this standalone novel with sweetness and optimism while acknowledging the complexities of her characters’ lives. . . .A Duet for Home portrays how an appreciation for music and a desire to make the world more beautiful can give all young people—and perhaps especially the most vulnerable—a way to believe in themselves.”
-- BookPage (starred review)

“Readers who love the Vanderbeekers will not be disappointed. Glaser effortlessly interweaves the story lines of two preteens living in a South Bronx homeless shelter. . . .The ending is poignant, focusing on possibility rather than certainty. Friendship, hopes and dreams come together in the final note that Glaser strikes.” —New York Times Book Review

- A Junior Library Guild Selection
- A New York Public Library Best Book of 2022
- A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book of 2022
- Featured on The Today Show
- Featured at the centennial exhibit celebrating The Museum of the City of New York
- A Happily Ever Elephants 2022 Best Kids’ Books Selection
- An Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best Book for ages 9-12
- World Magazine’s Children’s Novel of the Year, 2022
- A Florida Association for Media in Education Sunshine State Young Readers Award Program Selection for Grades 6-8, 2023-24
- A Michigan Association for Media in Education MISelf in Books Selection 2022
- A Nebraska Golden Sower Nominee, 2023-24
- A Vermont Golden Dome Book Award Nominee, 2023-24
- A Michigan Great Lakes Great Books Award Nominee, 2023-24
- A New Hampshire Great Stone Face Award Nominee, 2024
- An Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Award Nominee, 2024
- An Indiana Library Federation Upper Elementary Read Aloud, 2024
- A Texas Library Association Lone Star Book, 2024
- A Rebecca Caudhill Young Readers’ Book Award - Illinois Children’s Choice 2025
- A Washington State Sasquatch Award Nominee, 2024-25
- A South Carolina Junior Book Award Nominee, 2024-25
- An Iowa Children’s Choice Award Nominee, 2024-25
- A Minnesota Youth Reading Award (Maud Hart Lovelace) Nominee, 2025
- An Oregon Library Association’s Oregon Reader’s Choice Awards Nominee, 2025
- A Teen Readers Choice Award Finalist, 2023
- Included in Stories Beyond Borders: A Chinese American and Diasporic Reading List (Selected by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA), and Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) to commemorate the CALA’s upcoming 50th Anniversary)

From the New York Times best-selling creator of the Vanderbeekers series comes a triumphant tale of friendship, healing, and the power of believing in ourselves told from the perspective of biracial sixth-graders June and Tyrell, two children living in a homeless shelter. As their friendship grows over a shared love of classical music, June and Tyrell confront a new housing policy that puts homeless families in danger.

It's June’s first day at Huey House, and as if losing her home weren’t enough, she also can’t bring her cherished viola inside. Before the accident last year, her dad saved tip money for a year to buy her viola, and she’s not about to give it up now. Tyrell has been at Huey House for three years and gives June a glimpse of the good things about living there: friendship, hot meals, and a classical musician next door. Can he and June work together to oppose the government, or will families be forced out of Huey House before they are ready?

Check out the cover reveal, including the first chapter, on Bookpage!

A Duet for Home is available everywhere books are sold.