Where I Belong

No one is kind to sixth-grader Brendan Doyle: his foster mother, his teachers, his classmates, and especially the thugs who bully him. He takes refuge in books, drawing, carving, and daydreaming. When Brendan stumbles upon an old man near his tree house in the Virginia woods, he is quick to believe that this is the magical Green Man, guardian spirit of the forest. Brendan's need to immerse himself in his fantasy world becomes more acute, until he meets a girl with secrets of her own who may just keep his feet on the ground.

Brendan thinks he’s found a magical escape, but his real journey toward finding where he belongs is just beginning.

• Overcoming Bullying: From cruel classmates to his own foster mother, Brendan feels like an outcast. This is a powerful story about finding the courage to face tormentors and stand up for yourself.
• Loneliness and Belonging: Brendan builds a secret treehouse deep in the woods, a sanctuary where a boy who feels like he doesn’t fit in anywhere can finally feel safe and be himself.
• Imagination and Reality: Is the old man in the woods the magical Green Man of legend, or just a lonely wanderer? Brendan must navigate the line between the world he creates and the one he actually lives in.
• Finding Friendship: When he meets Shea, a new girl with her own past, Brendan discovers that a real friend might be the most powerful and important magic of all.

"Another solid outing from veteran Hahn." —Kirkus     "Hahn gives Brendan a narrative voice that is urgent, contemplative, and believable in this nuanced story about transformation, trust, identity, friendship, and loss."  —Publishers Weekly     "This is quintessential middle-grade realistic fiction, with an unvarnished depiction of the miseries that can be visited upon a quiet sixth grader and the succor that can be found in the hard-won friendship of peers and the attention of understanding elders." —Horn Book Magazine     "A gentle and moving story." —Booklist     "The fantasy of a forested getaway spot and the universality of Sam’s self-doubt give this strong appeal to a wide audience, who will start prowling their own neighborhoods for secret arboreal hideaways."  —Bulletin