Fly Away Home

by Eve Bunting

Book Overview

A homeless boy who lives in an airport with his father, moving from terminal to terminal trying not to be noticed, is given hope when a trapped bird finally finds its freedom.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0395664152
• ISBN13: 9780395664155
• Release Date: March 1993
• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.29 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 8.6" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 4 to 7 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 2

Customer Reviews

Fly Away Home

This book is great and kind of sad. The way it's sad because it was about the kid and his father being poor and they got to live in an airport and they could be kicked out from there. Also, they are trying everything to get out of there and live a good life. Out of all the way the writing of the book is good.

touching (but difficult) eloquence for mid-readers

"My dad and I live in an airport. That's because we don't have a home and the airport is better than the streets. We are careful not to get caught." So begins Ms. Bunting's 1991 story, "Fy Away Home" about a homeless child and his father who live in an airport, spending their days trying to blend in and stay under the radar of local security. Told from the child's persepective, FAH is not an easy book to read, even (and perhaps especially) for adults. Andrew, the narrator, frankly discusses how he and his dad avoid detection by wearing blue, changing terminals, keeping clean in the bathrooms and sleeping sitting up. A number of their fellow homeless friends have been discovered and tossed out, usually for loud or unusual behavior. It's terribly important to Andrew and his dad that they be as invisable as possible. Andrew tells how his dad takes the bus on weekends to a job where he's a janitor and how the Medinas, another homeless family, watch over Andrew on those days. Dad fishes newspapers out of the trash and makes phone calls, presumably about renting an apartment, but always returns disappointed. The crux of the book comes when Andrew discovers a bird trapped inside the airport. He keeps an eye on it until one day the sliding glass doors open for just a second and whoosh! the bird flies away to freedom. This becomes a sort of metaphor for Andrew as he stands at the window, watching the planes take off at the end; an end in which we don't know what will become of Andrew of his dad. "Fly Away Home" was clearly written before the security crackdown after 9/11, but the message will still ring true to post-9/11 readers. There's a sadness and frustration that runs through the book, and a low level of fear of discovery: it's obvious that if Andrew and his dad are discovered, they'll be turned out and who knows what will happen next. Still, there's a feeling of hope to the book and the certainty that, as humans, we can adapt to anything; "it's nice right here, though, isn't it, Andrew? it's warm. It's safe. And the price is right." Though a picture book, very young readers most likely wont get much out of the book or else they may become fearful that they too will become homeless and need to live in an airport or other public building. I've read this book to my 3rd graders and most of them grasped the seriousness of the text, though some were frustrated at the ambiguity of the ending. I would recommend this book for school-aged kids and upper grades as a way of communicating a difficult concept-- homelessness-- to children in a truthful but not terrifying or horrific way. Excellent work, Ms. Bunting, as usual!!

Fly Away Home

The book Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting is about a boy, Andrew, and his father living in an airport. Andrew's mother has passed away and they must live in the airport. Andrew and his dad try not to get noticed so they won't be kicked out. Andrew finds a bird who is trapped in the airport but finally flies away. Andrew and the bird are similar because they both want to be free. We enjoyed this book because we want Andrew to be free. The book is sad, but Andrew is saving his money to help is father find a job and an apartment. The is a great book to read!

A Beautifully Written Story

This is one of my all-time favorite children's books. Eve Bunting does an excellent job of narrating a difficult subject through the voice of a child. The illustrations add to the beauty of the writing. Although it is written for a younger audience, it can be read to a group of older students with the same effects. While I don't think that this book will make activists out of children, it will raise awareness of peers who may be in similar situations (especially among urban/rural populations). This is a great addtion to Bunting's wonderful repretoire of stories.