Back Home

by Julia Keller

Summary:
Rachel's father went to war not to be a hero, but to help people. But when he returned injured from the war in Iraq, her entire family has to cope with a lot of changes. She never asked for him to go to war, but now that he's back, missing limbs and acting like a different person, she has to learn how their family will live now.

Review:
Back Home is the struggle of one family dealing with an injured veteran, not only from physical injuries like missing limbs, but also from the mental injuries associated with at TBI. With so many parents coming home from the wars injured, this book is a great one to have on hand to give to their children. Rachel deals with not only shame about his injuries, but also confusion about how this will impact her life. The guilt she feels about wanting to be 'normal' is an expected part of life, and how she works through it all with her family is both realistic and poignant. It's no happily ever after tale, but a good realistic read for younger teens.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 5th Grade