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    Hold Fast
    Hold Fast
    Hold Fast
    Audiobook7 hours

    Hold Fast

    Written by Blue Balliett

    Narrated by Bahni Turpin

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    From NYT bestselling author Blue Balliett, the story of a girl who falls into Chicago's shelter system, and from there must solve the mystery of her father's strange disappearance.

    Where is Early's father? He's not the kind of father who would disappear. But he's gone . . . and he's left a whole lot of trouble behind.

    With her signature, singular love of language and sense of mystery, Blue Balliett weaves a story that takes readers from the cold, snowy Chicago streets to the darkest corner of the public library, on an unforgettable hunt for deep truths and a reunited family.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherScholastic
    Release dateMar 1, 2013
    ISBN9780545570152
    Hold Fast

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    Reviews for Hold Fast

    4/5

    99 ratings8 reviews

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    • 3/5
      A little melodramatic and implausible for my tastes, unfortunately. I liked reading about Langston Hughes and the Antwerp diamond heist, and I believe that homelessness is a major problem in this country. But trying to fit all three into a cohesive story proves to be too much; the lyrical quotes from Hughes don't really mesh with the more prosaic detective work, and the vignettes from shelter life are incredibly depressing (and in some ways so over-the-top it feels like Balliett is just piling things on to drive her points home). The character development suffers a little too, as Early's brother comes off as too young and the mom comes off as annoyingly helpless. I'm hoping some of the other Balliett books we got recently strike a better balance between education and entertainment.
    • 5/5
      I just finished Hold Fast. I think it's Blue Balleitt's best book so far and it didn't even get a mention At the book awards don't think. A great mystery with a real world connection as well as eye opening into the world of the homeless.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book. I love words and I love the way that this book beautifully described the immense power of words.I got really caught up in the plot and mystery of this book and couldn't put it down. I also think that this book is really powerful in that it shows people not to judge those down on their luck.
    • 4/5
      Where is Early's father? He's not the kind of father who would disappear. But he's gone. . . and he's left a whole lot of trouble behind. As danger closes in, Early, her mom, and her brother have to flee their apartment. With nowhere else to go, they are forced to move into a city shelter. Once there, Early starts asking questions and looking for answers - because her father hasn't disappeared without a trace.
    • 5/5
      Summary:Early's family changes suddenly when her father mysteriously disappears. Early's mother, brother and herself have to move out of their apartment and into a shelter due to their father's disappearance. Early takes on the role of getting her family through the struggles of being homeless while also investigating her father's disappearance. Review:This book would catch the attention of intermediate readers who enjoy mystery and suspense books. Great reading level for older elementary students. During the book, Early must problem solve while investigating which are two skills that readers of this reading level should be able to master. Good use as a less advanced chapter book.
    • 3/5
      The author of "Hold Fast" is by Blue Balliett. Written in 2013, Hold Fast is a book based in chicago about Early her brother and her mother. Earlys dad has left her and her family. Her dad has left lots of trouble behind with him so early and the family has to leave their apartment with nowhere to go they have to move into a city shelter. While she is there she asks a lot of questions and finds about how lots of people have seen her dad at a very tough place. In the end she finds her dad and the family reunites.
    • 4/5
      If you are like me and you have almost begun to think that there aren’t any functional families out there, then you need to read this book. At the heart of this book is a fabulous family, Dashel Pearl, his wife Summer, and their kids, Early and Jubilation. They are poor, but they love each deeply. And they have a big goal: they want to save up enough money to buy a house. Then Dashel Pearl mysteriously disappears. I loved the structure of the story, with the chapters each named with a different onomatopoeia, a word that echoes through the chapter. I felt uplifted as I read along, moved by the strength and determination of the characters in this story. A worthy read.
    • 5/5
      As danger closes in, Early, her mom, and her brother have to flee their apartment. With nowhere else to go, they are forced to move into a city shelter. Once there, Early starts asking questions and looking for answers. Because her father hasn't disappeared without a trace. There are patterns and rhythms to what's happened, and Early might be the only one who can use them to track him down and make her way out of a very tough place.The Good Stuff Very unusual and truly unique Fast paced and totally engrossing, I did not want to put it down Early is a wonderful character that you cheer for and want to help Heartbreaking, honest and real Focuses on the power of words, a love of language and the library world - of course I am going to love it Highlights the plight that families that are homeless live through - the prejudice they fight, the lack of resources, help and understanding Stays with you long after you finished reading Stresses the importance of family and hope Not in your face or preachy with the moral aspect of the story - just shows you what life can be like for those forced onto the street and into shelters - very impressive gift Ms Balliett Will be looking for other works by this author as I was so impressed Adding this to my Staff Picks at workThe Not so Good Stuff Her writing style may put off the type of reader that would benefit the most Favorite Quotes Passages ``Books are produced in batches, and the first printing is like the first batch of cookies from the oven. It`s the one everyone wants.````No one official seemed to be too concerned. It was almost, Early thought, as if you weren`t 100 percent human when you came into the police station on the wrong side of the front desk. If you were upset, it was unreasonable. If you had a question, it could wait. Just the fact that you were there seemed like a strike against you. Right then Early made herself a promise: she wouldn`t be helpless, not ever, not if she could see a way out. She wouldn`t allow that to happen. She could see that being helpless in a situation like this was dangerously close to becoming just less.````It`s so fun, like seeing a movie with popcorn, only better, because it stays in your head as long as you want it to and then you can go back and see parts of it again.``Who Should Shouldn't Read Would be perfect for a class read For anyone of any age with a love for the written word The reluctant reader might have a hard time with this one which is a shame4.75 Deweys I received this from Scholastic in exchange for an honest review (You KNEW I would love this one didn`t you Nikole)