Homefree [Paperback]

Nina Wright (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 2006

I just might have the worst life in the world. My dad is long gone, and my mom’s crazy gold-digging schemes keep us broke and on the move. I could probably deal with all that, except I’ve started astral projecting. Right in the middle of French class. I never know where I’m going to end up next. Sometimes I land back in my old Atlanta apartment, where a strange blind man now lives. He keeps shouting at me, but he’ll only answer my questions with more questions. . . . 

Traveling through time and space into her own past as well as the present-day lives of her classmates, Easter Hutton struggles to understand why she’s having weird astral experiences and occasional bouts of invisibility. She soon discovers other outcasts with “special talents”—all connected to a mysterious organization called Homefree. As disasters pile up in both the real world and the astral world, Easter must use her unusual abilities to find a place to call home.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up–Easter Hutton, 16, an otherwise typical character in teen novels–the disaffected, alienated child of a single, irresponsible parent–develops quickly enough into a determined, if reluctant, heroine, in this unusual paranormal tale. Suddenly, at her new (once again) school, she experiences out-of-body travel to her past, convincing her that she is losing her mind. Then her friend Andrew disappears. The astral episodes seem to become more frequent, and weird; waking dreams take Easter into times and places where she feels she must play a pivotal role, if only she could figure out what it is. Unlikely characters converge in Easter's astral and real worlds as part of the mysterious organization Homefree, which has been set up to help teens in trouble. Crises build, and the protagonist finds herself racing against time, on both planes, to fulfill her role before innocent teens make disastrous, irrevocable moves. This light read is quirky and evocative. The suspense keeps up the pace, and the eccentric characters are just mysterious and alluring enough to hold readers' attention.–Roxanne Myers Spencer, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

An actor turned playwright and novelist, Nina Lanai Wright is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and Florida Writers Association. Her comedy Cherchez Dave Robicheaux has had four productions to date, including an Equity premiere at Ann Arbor's Performance Network. It was also produced at Sonoma County Repertory Theatre, where it won the SCRipts International New Play Competition, and by Cleveland's Feminist Troupe, Red Hen Productions. Most recently, the playwright directed her own script at a theatre in Toledo, Ohio.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 234 pages
• Publisher: Flux (September 8, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738709271
• ISBN-13: 978-0738709277
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,875,957 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #71 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Fiction > Visionary Fiction

More About the Author

An actor turned playwright and novelist, Nina Wright is author of five books in the humorous Whiskey Mattimoe mystery series. She has also published two paranormal urban fantasies, HOMEFREE and SENSITIVE. All her books are for sale on Amazon; she is pleased to partner with Ampichellis Epublishers in making her books available at the Kindle store.

News for Whiskey Mattimoe fans: The 6th book in the series, WHISKEY AND SODA, will be available in 2012. Check back soon for more details.

News for HOMEFREE fans: SENSITIVE will soon be published as an ebook. Nina is working on the third book in the series for release in 2012.

More about Nina Wright . . .

With an undergraduate degree in theater and two master's degrees (in English literature and applied linguistics), Nina has taught creative writing, playwriting, speech, drama, English literature, and English as a Second Language to adults and teens.

Born in northwest Ohio, Nina learned from Lake Erie and her patient father how to swim, ice skate, sail, and fish. Her father also encouraged her to laugh and tell stories. Today Nina's favorite place is a beach almost anywhere. She likes to bike and hike, too. Nina's affection for coastal Michigan, central West Virginia, and magical St. Augustine, Florida, is evident in the settings of her novels.

Because she was an actor and playwright before she wrote fiction, Nina learned her craft by studying what works on the stage: revealing truth through dialogue and action. A playwright must instantly draw the audience into the world of the drama and hold them there until the house lights come up at the end.

Nina continues to write plays as well as fiction. Her latest full-length dramedy, ON MY BOYFRIENDS' BICYCLES, is ideally suited to small theatres with minimal production capabilities. Interested producers and directors may contact her through her website.

A storyteller committed to both page and stage, Nina enjoys teaching others to explore their passions and find their voices; she leads customized workshops for writers of all ages. Nina regularly posts on Facebook and Twitter as well as her blogs. She welcomes input from readers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HOPING FOR A SEQUEL!, December 4, 2006

By 

Linda Joy Singleton "Linda Joy Singleton" (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Homefree (Paperback)

I really enjoyed this book! It opened very mysteriously and maintained the suspense until the end. The whole concept of "Homefree" and how it involves teens with supernatural powers is very cool.

I'd love to read more about Easter and her mystical friends. I hope a sequel is in the works!

Linda Joy Singleton
author of The Seer series

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, November 9, 2006

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Homefree (Paperback)

Easter Hutton thinks she "just might have the worst life in the world". Her parents are divorced, she's had her fair share of step-dad/boyfriend experiences, and now her mother is pregnant. Add to that a temporary home in a rundown Florida trailer park and a new school where her classmates would rather throw raw eggs at Easter than talk to her, and the reader will agree that her life is not the greatest.

If all that is not bad enough, Easter has begun "astral-projecting". One minute she is in French class and the next, she's back in her old apartment in Atlanta with a blind man and a mad parrot. What is going on?

As her personal life seems to be exploding around her, Easter's strange new experiences bring her in contact with other teens who have similar special abilities. With the help of some old friends and new acquaintances, Easter discovers there's a place for special people - Homefree - and she's been invited.

In HOMEFREE, author Nina Wright creates a wonderful mix of reality and fascinating paranormal activity. Easter's less-than-perfect life is so believable that when the "weird" stuff starts happening, the reader just hangs on and goes along for the ride. This book would be a great addition to any classroom or library.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Search for Others, Find Yourself, January 23, 2007

By 

Little Willow (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Homefree (Paperback)

Easter is used to worrying about her mother. Ever since her parents divorced, Easter's pretty much been raising herself, watching her mom go from boyfriend to boyfriend and moving from place to place. Now they are in Florida, dealing with the fact that her mom's about to have a kid with her newest guy - who is still married to someone else.

Now Easter is worrying about herself. While sitting in class at her new school, she feels as though she's back in one of the places she used to live. She really feels it and she sees it. This isn't a dream - it's astral projection, with her body in one place and time, and her mind in another.

Then Easter starts to worry about her best friend. Andrew has disappeared. So did Easter's father, after the divorce, but this situation is different. Easter feels compelled to find Andrew, the only real friend she's ever had, and make sure that he is okay.

During another out-of-body experience, Easter meets a very strange man who seems very certain that she has a special gift. Though what he tells her sounds crazy at first, he is making more sense than anyone else around her. She learns about a place where gifted teenagers go - where she, too, can go. Should she use her power to find Andrew? Can she ever really be free of her mother? Will she finally have someplace to call home?

HOMEFREE begins as the story of a girl with a less-than-stellar home life, then evolves into something supernatural. Along the way, Easter subconsciously grows into the role she is eventually given, so subtly that she is surprised by her newfound abilities and the faith others have in her. Readers will know she had it in her the whole time, and they will be eager to return to her world in the sequel, SENSITIVE.