Know My Place

by Eve Ainsworth, Helen Crawford-White (Illustrator)

A teenager's longing for family and a place to call home is poignantly portrayed in this heartfelt and ultimately uplifting story of life in the foster-care system.

Feeling betrayed when her long-term foster placement breaks down, Amy is sent to live with a new family, the Dawsons. Although initially reluctant to trust them, she eventually starts to let down her guard. But just when it seems like she's found her forever family, she hears a telephone call that suggests things aren't going to work out. Will Amy be abandoned again - or does she dare hope that she might finally have found home?

Genres: Young Adult, Short Stories

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2021

About the author

Author of Seven Days & Crush
Scholastic
www.eveainsworth.com

http://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/eve-ains...

I have also self published an adult comedy - The Blog of Maisy Malone.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blog-Maisy-Ma...

I love reading, long walks, hot baths, eighties music and tea.

Please follow me on Twitter

https://twitter.com/EveAinsworth

Or find me on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/eveainsworthn...

Reviews

[Leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being an "foster care child" myself I picked it up as fast as I could when I found it in my library. I wish I had this as a teen when I came to my foster home for a second time. Luckily in my case the foster home and parents was an absolute blessing for me and something that even to this day make me so happy I had. But unfortunately there isn't a lot of fiction about that experience or good ones for that matter. I wish more "different family's" would be discussed in YA rather than the "absent/dead parent" or the family that exist but is hardly ever a big part of a book. Sorry I get a little bit passion nu topics like this

[Cherlynn | cherreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

I loved this book! Amy is a protagonist that I connected with right from the first page and her perspective as a child in the foster care system is so well-written.

A very engaging story that left me emotional.

✨ "I was like a jigsaw piece in the wrong place. I wouldn't fit, no matter how much you tried to ram me into the space."

[Michelle (Fluttering Butterflies) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cried. A book about finding a place to belong is exactly my sort of story.

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay I read this book in 2023. Wellllll…… I know it’s a good one but I can’t remember much.

[Yukai Lim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an easy 4.5 to 5 stars rating. I love the main character and reading about her journey to find a home via the foster care system . I really love the Dawson family who took Anny in. After reading her horrible experiences with her previous foster family, it is easy to understand why she keeps to herself and have the thoughts she had. I freaking hate Stephanie and her childish behaviour and am actually not sad that she got what she got in the story.

[Lottie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a basic story following a girls life who is living in foster care. It was only 120 pages long so i finished it in a few hours.

The plot was quite straight forward, although i still enjoyed it because I like reading books about people who’s life is very different to mine. It makes you realize how lucky you are and that people you know might have gone through similar things.

It still managed to make me cry but it had a happy ending which is refreshing bcs books don’t always have that now i’m older.

Overall I would give it 3.5 stars :))

[Evangeline Munster · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

A lovely little story about Amy who is in foster care finding her place and learning to trust that things will work out. It also touches on grief.

*One of the dyslexia friendly reads I've read so that I can recommend it to pupils.

[Danisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cute. The character builds were general and there wasnt much detail. As a short story, it's quite good, but not as a full on novel.

[Sammi Bland-Kanes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A different insight on fostering, I enjoyed reading the perspective of the child, Amy, who was being ghosted after her nan passed away. The impact of placement breakdowns and how it affected her moving to a new placement is interesting to read about.

[mia grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book, again it was short like eves other books yet was so heartfelt and emotional. I love how it talked about the foster care system from a teens perspective it was beautiful and one of my fav books by the author finished it very quick though but recommend it as a really good deep heartfelt book for a quick read

[Amy Walker - Trans-Scribe Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barrington Stoke books have never shied away from handling what some people would class as 'heavy' topics for younger readers. These are things that can range from poverty, to depression, the climate emergency, and even bereavement. Whilst some might see these topics as being too 'big' for children, or possibly even too sad to put into children's literature these are things that children are actually living. Whether it be themselves or people they know children today will have to deal with these things, so these issue more than belong in children's books.

Know My Place covers the topic of care and the foster system, and how hard it can be for children who have to move from home to home, trying to find a good fit for themselves. The book follows Amy, a young teen who has been in the foster system for a number of years; ever since her grandmother passed away suddenly. With her grandmother being her sole parental figure and family Amy is placed in the foster system. Sadly, this doesn't work well for her, and she's had trouble finding a home since.

Her last placement came to an end following a confrontation with her foster sister, a girl who had been bullying Amy since she moved in. With her foster mother unable to cope with the situation, partly due to failing health, Amy is moved to live with the Dawson family. At first she's unsure if she should even try to give it a chance, due in large part to expecting it to fail like the last placement; but eventually she begins to find a little happiness with the Dawson's. However, when Amy overhears Mrs Dawson speaking on the phone she begins to suspect that this home isn't right for her either.

Know My Place deals a lot with the themes of identity and loss, an through Amy and her struggles we see that trying to fit in and be yourself can be even harder for teenagers who don't have somewhere where they feel safe. Whilst Amy isn't in any physical or psychological danger with the Dawson's her inability to ever truly let her guard down, to feel comfortable, really has a effect on her mental health.

We see a young girl who desperately wants to feel safe, to have a home and a family, to be able to say 'this is where I belong, and this is where I'm happy', yet is unable to find it. It's not hard to see why, as across the course of the book we see more and more about what happened to her in her previous placement, but it's still kind of sad to see the Dawson's showering her with affection and kindness and it still not being enough for Amy to feel safe.

Sadly, this isn't a story that's completely made up, and there are going to be a lot of young people living through similar situations, dealing with these kinds of issues. Hopefully though they'll be able to read books like this, to see Amy's journey and see that there is hope of a happy ending. This is what makes books like this so much more special, the fact that it's not just a story, but a book that can help young people struggling to find their place in the world hope for something better for themselves.

Eve Ainsworth does a great job of making the book feel incredibly genuine and real. It would have been easy for this kind of topic to slip into melodrama, to have it end up reading like an exaggerated soap opera than the real world, but she brings a lot of honesty and understanding to the story; making it a really sensitive read. Whether you're buying this book for a child who's been through the foster system or not, not only will this book educate them on the struggles faced by those going through it, it'll also show them why empathy and understanding of others is something that's vital to everyone, and how without it a lot of people can end up hurt. An absolute must read for any kids.

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve wanted to read Know My Place since I first heard about it a few months ago. Having previously fostered teenagers I was intrigued to find out more about the plot.

I found Amy’s story to be heartbreaking, but ultimately realistic given her background, and I was so happy for the positivity included from her new placement and carers. I know only too close to home that positive outcomes aren’t always the case, placements do break down (such as the situation with Amy and the Gibsons). I hope that this book may be a beacon of hope to those within the foster care system that read it and provide others with a good base knowledge to build empathy and understanding.

Identity and loss are major issues for teens in foster care, these topics were handled so well in Eve’s writing, even down to the smaller details of not having many personal items or clothes to take with them and not wanting to settle and become comfortable in case they have to move again. The issues of trust, building relationships, belonging, and navigating through a somewhat turbulent life were written sensitively and realistically.

As with other books published by Barrington Stoke, this book is super readable, the plot flows at a nice pace, it is a quick, engaging read.

I highly recommend this as an addition to any school library or classroom. I plan to purchase a copy for our library and shall be gifting my review copy to a student who has asked me many times for more books about ‘kids in foster care like her’. I know she will absolutely love this book.

Thank you so much to Barrington Stoke for sending me the copy to review.

[Joey Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amy has been in foster care since her Nan died, the Gibsons were supposed to be her forever home, but Stephanie and Amy couldn’t make it work, leaving Amy scarred and hurt, unable to trust her next home with the Dawsons, knowing soon they’ll get rid of her too.

This was beautiful, heartbreaking, had me literally sobbing heavy tears whilst reading it. I literally couldn’t stop crying. It was so beautifully and delicately written, sharing what it’s like in the mind of a foster kid, the struggles they have mentally, the uncertainty of their situation and the ways they can get treated sometimes. It was so spot on and just perfectly crafted.

Amy was a great protagonist, you could feel everything she’d gone through, her experiences stayed with her and hurt her so deeply she hadn’t ever found a single person to love her since her nan and didn’t know if she would ever find someone that would.

The Dawsons were a really great family for her to go into, they had a genuine care for her and were so gentle with her, though wanting to know and understand more they also just wanted to help her feel safe and wanted, I really did enjoy how all three of them really did care about her so much.

This was such a beautiful story, honestly it will stay with me, it got me so emotional and this story is so heartbreaking and heartwarming at the end and the journey she goes through was no easy road but found her place eventually and it was so lovely.

[whatbooknext · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amy has another new placement. Ever since her Nan died when Amy was six years old, she has been in foster care. Now a teenager, she has lost trust in the system, after hoping too many times that each placement will be her true home.

This new placement is with a wealthy family. They are kind, patient and seem to be very understanding. But so was the last one, and that turned into a disaster. Blaming herself, Amy’s self esteem is low and she believes the only way to cope is to keep her head down, her hopes low and herself to herself.

Another new school to be navigated is adding more pressure. Unlike last time, her new sibling offers to be there for her if she needs him. Does he really mean it? As predicted, things don’t go well with her new classmates. Resigned to being alone, Amy decides that’s the best way to be. She takes measures to ensure she isn’t hurt again, but is she wrong this time?


In dyslexic / reluctant reader friendly format, I felt for Amy and all the challenges she has had to face alone in the world.

This story switches between now, and in a bold font for the past when things went so wrong.

[Julie (Bookish.Intoxication) · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the second you start this book, you can't stop reading. It is easy to get lost in the pages, lost in Amy's story.

The plot flows across the pages seamlessly, easy to read and to process. Our protagonist has had a traumatic life, traversing the foster care system, facing loss and cruelty. Amy is looking for somewhere to call home, but she is also terrified of allowing herself to be comfortable enough to find it.

Know My Place is heart wrenching. It opens the readers eyes to what children in the Foster System are going through and how sometimes a cheery personality makes things worse, not better. It gives the reader an authentic perspective about something that there really isn't enough books written about.

Incredibly well written, with a protagonist you can't help but love, Know My Place is a tale that demands to be read, and it is important that we do.

Thank you to Allen and Unwin for sending me a review copy of this title. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Black Flamed Candle Books 🕯️📚 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I’ve read in 2 hours or less in years. Whilst, quite a short novel, which I would’ve loved if there was more, had lots of strong messages. The only fault, is that maybe it was perhaps too short. It didn’t go into very much detail about any of the characters, for example, why Stephanie was acting the way she did, or what was making Mary ill, or what Kenny’s POV was like meeting Amy in detail. It was all passively mentioned at the end. I would’ve loved to hear more about Kenny’s POV, how he felt having a sister and what emotions he was feeling, also maybe even some of Kenny’s friends POV like Kelly. Additionally the main highlights, or the conflict and resolution seemed rather rushed as if Ainsworth had only a certain word slot or page limit she could meet. I wish there was more of it. More detail. More depth but overall, I would be happy to read this again in the future. :)

[Emma Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that as a teenager I feel I would have hugely benefitted from so I am so pleased it is out there. I never knew anyone in school that was in care, but I wonder now if that was due to it being hidden rather than no-one being in care (likely I feel). A poignant telling of changing homes, distrust, bullying and perceptions. Eve is sensitive and thoughtful in the situations, and this makes you take note. Kenny is a superb character and provided some much needed light after Stephanie. Also doesnt shy away from bereavement and loss which is key to this story. Beautifully told.

[L Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, although I found it too short for there to really be character growth (which I found to be the premise of 'Know My Place'). If you want a really quick read about fitting in, struggling to trust people and new places, that uses simple language accessible to anyone, you will find Know My Place a worthwhile read.

[Savannah Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book as it gives u an insight on what life for a foster child is like and the struggles they go through. I think its perfect for younger readers (year 5 - year 7) but I found it a little boring (i'm in yr 9).i'm glad it ended with a good note and Amy finally feels comfortable where she is !

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

It only took me an hour and a half to read. Great book and good for if you are just getting back into reading. I think the story could have been 200 maybe 300 pages instead the 115 but was short and sweet. I loved the layout too.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book about a girl who lost her grandmother and the struggles that she faced with different foster families. It makes me wonder about the thoughts and feelings some students face in school.

[Rhuddem Gwelin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even for a YA novel this is too simplified, too pat, to be engaging.

[Violet]

Amazing

[Petula LM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little book to help see what Foster care is like from the child's point of view

[a🧚‍♀️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars ⭐️