No Fixed Address

No Fixed Address

11+ Readers 13+ Readers
Author: Susin Nielsen
ISBN: 9781783447213
Publication date: 4th October 2018
Publisher: Andersen Press Ltd
Format: Hardback
Pagination: 288 pages

Our View on No Fixed Address

Susin Nielsen’s new novel features unforgettable central characters, and is beautifully written; her ear for dialogue – young teen to teen, young teen to parent, young teen to emergency services – pitch perfect.  Despite being a story of homelessness and poverty, it will leave readers cheered and thoroughly reassured about the strength and resilience of the human spirit. Twelve-year old Felix lives with his mother Astrid, only rarely seeing his dad. Astrid has a flexible attitude to truth and Felix has developed a chart to measure the lies she tells as they navigate their lives. These range from ‘the invisible lie’, through the ‘no-one gets hurt’ to the biggest, the ‘someone might lose an eye’ lie. As they struggle to cope living in a (stolen) camper van, Astrid uses her panoply of lies to the full and Felix reluctantly goes along with it, ready to support his mother even when it’s really difficult. Nielsen gives him good friends, and a talent for memorising facts, both of which help to set up a better future for him. Both painful and funny, this is a book that will have readers alternatively shouting at its central characters, and cheering them on.

Andrea Reece

About No Fixed Address

Felix Knutsson is nearly thirteen, lives with his mother and pet gerbil Horatio, and is brilliant at memorising facts and trivia. So far, pretty normal. But Felix and his mom Astrid have a secret: they are living in a van. Astrid promises it's only for a while until she finds a new job, and begs Felix not to breathe a word about it. So when Felix starts at a new school, he does his very best to hide the fact that most of his clothes are in storage, he only showers weekly at the community centre, and that he doesn't have enough to eat. When his friends Dylan and Winnie ask to visit, Felix always has an excuse. But Felix has a plan to turn his and Astrid's lives around: he's going to go on his favourite game show Who, What, Where, When and win the cash prize. All he needs is a little luck and a lot of brain power . . . Susin Nielsen deftly combines humour, heartbreak, and hope in this moving story about people who slip through the cracks in society, and about the power of friendship and community to make all the difference.

Reviews (9)

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Erica Motoc - Age 12

Join Felix on an adventure of surprising events as he experiences his grandmother's death as well as competing in a game show for a much-needed money prize. Will he win or will he have to spend a lifetime living in a Westfalia van? Well, reader, I suppose you will just have to find out!

I have a great admiration for the book No Fixed Address because I feel like this is one of those books you will never forget.

The characters and event seem so real and are just eye-opening that some people in the real world are actually experiencing this type of living although this book is a novel. The way this book is written makes me feel like I am some sort of spectator looking into the events of Felix and Astrid's life.

I felt every emotion and clung onto every word in this book. I brought this book with me everywhere I went so that I could read it any spare time I had and return into Felix's world.

It brings me great sadness to declare that I have finished the book and will miss Felix, Astrid, Dylan and Winnie.

Lily O'Dwyer - Age 10

I haven’t read any books by this author before, but I will be looking for some in the library. The story was really easy to read and made you want to keep reading even when you should be asleep. It is about a young boy called Felix and his mum. But he calls her Astrid because that’s what she prefers him to call her. One day his mum loses her job and they have to move out of their flat. They end up living in a camper van temporarily. Felix and his mum have very little money and Felix finds that Astrid is doing things that he doesn’t agree with, just to survive. This is a very sad story, but it did make me realise how lucky I am to have a nice house to live in, clean clothes to wear and plenty of food in my tummy. I don’t want to spoil the story for you, but it will make you feel happy, sad, a little bit scared and sometimes make you laugh. By the end though you will feel like one of Felix's best friends. I highly recommend this book.

Jenny Bridgeman - Age 13

In this book, it's the story of an almost 13-year-old boy, his mum and their pet gerbil. They live in America and Felix, the boy, is trying to keep his family together when his mum, Astrid, loses her job. They live out a van which seems like an adventure at first but then he goes back to school and it gets harder to stop his friends coming over to his house. He plans to go on his favourite game show and win lots of money as he is really good at trivia living in a van means no privacy, no space and the damp starts to cause problems for Felix and Astrid. It is a book with a lot of heart and really gets you thinking about what it is like to be homeless when it is no one's fault.

Evie Macaulay - Age 12

No Fixed Address is a funny, wonderful, gripping book. It is a serious subject that has been made really relatable and fun. It grabs you and pulls you into Felix's world. Reading this you go through all the emotions he goes through. The book of the year, Susin is such a creative and a beautiful author. Tough situations, endless humour and faith and hope.

Lewis Briggs - Age 12

In the book a kid, named Felix, lives in a van and gets accepted into a new school. He goes onto a quiz show and wins $35,000, thinking it can save him. Little did he know that he has to be 18 years old to access the money.

The best part was when he went on the game show 'Who, What, Where, When'. I liked trying to answer the questions myself, although I wasn't very good!

My favourite character is Dylan. In the book he is a very good friend and sticks by Felix all the time.

I would recommend this book to children 11 and over because under 11s may not understand the message.

Noah Scott-Sentance - Age 11

This is a brilliant book. I really liked all the characters (especially Felix and Dylan). Living in a van sounded quite fun at the beginning but then when it gets cold and Felix can't have his friends over, it's really hard. I liked the way Felix's friends always support him (even though Winnie always wants to win everything!) and I loved the bit at the end about the quiz on TV. Even though it's a book about some serious things, it's also very funny and all the characters in it are like real people. I would give this book five stars and recommend it to everyone.

Ella O’Gorman - Age 14

The story is told from the point of view of its main character, Felix Knutsson. It opens with Felix about to tell his life story to a police constable and as the story unfolds we learns lots about Felix and his unusual life. He is an only child, with separated parents who do not really know how to parent. His mother loves Felix but has strong views and finds it hard to hold down a job. She also suffers from bouts of depression or slumps as they are called in the book. Felix and his mother are not homeless, they just happen to be living in a van and there seems to be no way out of their dire situation. The only bright spot in Felix’s life is his renewed friendship with Dylan, who he meets again when he starts at a new school. Their friendship is a lifeline for Felix. He also makes a new friend called Winnie. He keeps his home situation a secret from them as long as possible, but eventually has to tell them. Then Felix’s favorite game show launches a new junior edition of the show. He decides to enter and is determined to win it. Will Felix win and will he finally get a proper home? This book is a highly enjoyable read, that will have a wide appeal and leaves you with a feel-good feeling at the end.

cumbweqw - Age 53

1

sxglilws - Age 2019

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