Caroline Brooks DuBois is a poet and educator who received her MFA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. After teaching English at the middle school, high school, and college level, she was named a Nashville Blue Ribbon Teacher. The Places We Sleep is her debut novel. Caroline lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her family. Visit her online at carolineduboiswrites.com.
★ "Writing in captivating verse, DuBois brilliantly evokes tension
as she chronicles the horrors of 9/11 and Abbey’s personal
tragedies. With a strong, genuine voice, Abbey conveys her journey
from insecurity to belonging. As she shares her challenges,
discoveries, and triumphs, readers will encounter themes of
xenophobia, war, depression, and the difficulties of menstruation.
This dynamic tale provides a gutsy glimpse of one girl’s experience
on the cusp of womanhood, the trauma of loss during 9/11, and the
sustaining power of bravery and friendship."—School Library
Journal, Starred Review
"DuBois uses free verse for Abbey’s first-person narration,
skillfully conveying her protagonist's pained and halting thoughts,
occasionally integrating a lone, subtly meaningful rhyme." —Kirkus
Reviews
"Abbey’s voice is so honest, so spot-on. I absolutely adored this
tender story! A much needed addition to middle-grade
literature."—Ellie Terry, author of Forget Me Not
"Through a series of poems told in the first person, Abbey reveals
the inner thoughts she cannot share with others . . . As time
progresses, Abbey begins to feel at home, finds the courage to
speak up for her friends, and expresses herself through her
art."—Booklist
"This novel-in-verse moves very quickly and realistically depicts
the confusion a teenage girl might encounter as she matures. This
title is absolutely appropriate for a middle school library but
would be enjoyed by older girls as well. It would fit nicely into a
lesson that focuses on coming-of-age literature and on the struggle
to fit into one's changing community, world, and body."—School
Library Connection
"A lovely book in verse that juxtaposes an important event in a
girl’s life and an important event in the United States: September
11, 2001. Abbey’s family has just moved again and her body is
changing, her mom is worried, and her dad might be headed for
active duty, but Abbey has her new friend Camille and is gaining
independence. I fell into this story and did not resurface until I
was done. Brilliant."—Rebecca Crosswhite, Rediscovered Books
(Boise, ID)
"A beautiful and gentle novel in verse about a girl in the midst of
the fallout of 9/11. DuBois focuses on the aftermath of that day
and the repercussions that followed for months and years, including
having a father who is deployed following the attack, a friend at
school dealing with Islamophobia, and the loss of her aunt in the
Twin Towers. Dubois covers everything you could want to cover about
the attack, but in a way that makes it super relatable and easy to
digest for young readers."—Lauren Nopenz Fairley, Curious Iguana
(Frederick, MD)
"The Places We Sleep is a beautiful and moving novel in verse about
a girl navigating her way towards adolescence in the midst of a
national tragedy. Abbey has just moved to Tennessee and is trying
to find her way in a new school when the attacks of 9/11 happen. We
follow Abbey as she deals with the fallout of 9/11 and the loss of
the feeling of security the entire country felt. She grieves for an
aunt, worries for her deployed father, and witnesses the xenophobia
that reared its ugly head in the wake of that tragedy. If you are
an adult, you’ll be transported back to that strange, unreal time.
If you are younger, it will give you an idea of what it was like
during those uncertain times. Either way, you will fall in love
with and root for Abbey."—Chelsea Bauer, Union Avenue Books
(Knoxville, TN)
"Abbey is an Army kid, used to moving from city to city and school
to school as her dad’s orders change. On a seemingly ordinary fall
day, Abbey gets her first period. With no friends to turn to for
help and white pants in danger, Abbey almost misses the whispers in
the hallways — buildings in New York and Washington have been
attacked, are burning, are falling. The date is September 11, 2001.
As Abbey’s mom drives to New York to search for her sister, who is
missing in the rubble of the Twin Towers, Abbey is left to enter
womanhood on her own. This coming-of-age story, laid out in spare,
heartfelt verse, juxtaposes a very intense personal change with a
cataclysmic national change, deftly navigating Abbey’s search for
belonging amidst her fracturing family. The Places We Sleep is a
beautiful, necessary story and was a joy to experience."—Emily Hall
Schroen, Main Street Books (St. Charles, MO)
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