The Distance to Home by Jenn Bishop

Title: The Distance to Home
Author:  Jenn Bishop
Publisher: Random House/Knopf Children’s
Publication date: June 28, 2016
Pages: 240
Source/format: ARC to borrow from Rachel

Rating: ☆☆☆☆ 

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

Last summer, Quinnen was the star pitcher of her baseball team, the Panthers. They’re headed for the championship, and her loudest supporter at every game was her best friend and older sister, Haley.

This summer, everything is different. Haley’s death, at the end of last summer, has left Quinnen and her parents reeling. Without Haley in the stands, Quinnen doesn’t want to play baseball. It seems like nothing can fill the Haley-sized hole in her world. The one glimmer of happiness comes from the Bandits, the local minor-league baseball team. For the first time, Quinnen and her family are hosting one of the players for the season. Without Haley, Quinnen’s not sure it will be any fun, but soon she befriends a few players. With their help, can she make peace with the past and return to the pitcher’s mound? 

M Y  T H O U G H T S

I enjoyed reading The Distance to Home. Although Quinnen loses someone dear to her, she finally finds the courage to play baseball once again. This is a wonderful novel that delves about topics such as grief, friendship, sisterly bonding, courage and finding oneself. Jenn Bishop gives Quinnen a chance to grieve but also gives Quinnen a chance to bounce back to her feet and to pursue her passion once again. Bishop gives Quinnen hope! Hayley would be proud of Quinnen. The alternating past and present chapters gave a sense of knowing Hayley and Quinnen's sisterly relationship in more detail. You can definitely tell Quinnen looks up to Hayley and how they are best of friends.

Quinnen just needed time before she can carry on with her life. Losing someone is always hard but at such a young age, losing someone can be confusing. I love how Bishop includes a variety of supporting people in Quinnen's life. It is important for young readers to know that there is always someone that can help out. Whether is is someone to help you grieve or to take your mind off something, someone is always there to help when in need.