I loved the idea of this book. It introduces kids to homelessness in an open and mostly nonjudgmental way. ( )

The story of a girl’s search for her missing father and her family’s perseverance as they fall into Chicago’s shelter system. Many issues are explored, including homelessness and what people do to survive and keep their family intact

children's middlegrade fiction; homelessness/missing father/mystery. ( )

This book barely held my interest. I really had to slog through it to get to the end.

I loved the opener describing the disappearance of Dash at 1:11, 2:22, 3:33 and 4:44. Although Dash and his wife Summer got married in high school, he is really intelligent. He works at the library and loves Langston Hughes, books, words, dictionaries and rhythms. His daughter, Early, and son, Jubilation, appreciate their dad's love of books. But the library job doesn't pay much, so Dash gets involved in book collecting on the side. Things go awry. He disappears. Their apartment is ransacked. Summer and the kids end up in a homeless shelter.

I felt like this book was running two plots. Life in a homeless shelter and the mystery surrounding Dash. Trying to connect them into one story was like mixing oil and water. It totally didn't work. I found myself interested in Early's experiences at the homeless shelter and the new school. Balliett did an excellent job with the details. But all of the detective work seemed out of place in this story. I didn't buy it at all. I also didn't buy Early and Jubie calling their parents by their fist names. The character's names drove me absolutely nuts. They just would not stick in my brain, especially Early. I would read it and my brain would say adverb. It made the reading difficult.

This book would have been great if it had focused on homelessness. As it is, that part is lost, and so is the book's popularity. ( )

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. ( )