"Way Home" By: Libby Hathorn

The book Way Home is about a boy Shane who finds a cat on his way home. When he first finds this cat it growls and spits at him, but he pets it until it calms down. He puts the cat in his coat to take it home. On Shane's way home he and the cat encounter obstacles such as a mean gang of boys and a fierce dog. Eventually the boy gets the cat to his home, and the reader finds out how much the boy and the cat are alike.
I think this book is put together wonderfully. A tear separates the text from the illustrations. I think this is an interesting theme throughout the book because the tear is part of the cover and the pages, but when the cat and Shane are home there is no tear between the text and illustration. The text is also printed in white on a black background. I think that a black background was a perfect choice because it fits the nighttime setting of this book.
I have a hard time understanding why this book is so controversial. It clearly focuses on a darker side of life, but I think that it finds light in a very dark place. Both the boy and the cat start off alone, but they find each other and become friends. I know that the fact that the boy is homeless may be a difficult thing for some people to grasp because it isn't the sugar coated story. But I think it's important for kids to understand that everyone has different homes, and what one person considers home might not be the same as another person. I definitely wouldn't read this book to young students, but I think that 3rd graders would be able to handle this story. I think that this is an important story for students to read, but it would need to be presented in the right context. I think it would be neat to read this book to my classroom, and then figure out a class community service project. This way students can understand that people live in various situations, but there are many services and organizations that help people in need.