No Fixed Address

Narrator Nissae Isen
Audiobook Download
On sale Sep 11, 2018 | 5 Hours and 35 Minutes | 9780735265868
Age 10 and up | Grade 5 & Up
From beloved Governor General Literary Award--winning author Susin Nielsen comes a touching and funny middle-grade story about family, friendship and growing up when you're one step away from homelessness.

Felix Knuttson, twelve, is an endearing kid with an incredible brain for trivia. His mom Astrid is loving but unreliable; she can't hold onto a job, or a home. When they lose their apartment in Vancouver, they move into a camper van, just for August, till Astrid finds a job. September comes, they're still in the van; Felix must keep "home" a secret and give a fake address in order to enroll in school. Luckily, he finds true friends. As the weeks pass and life becomes grim, he struggles not to let anyone know how precarious his situation is. When he gets to compete on a national quiz show, Felix is determined to win -- the cash prize will bring them a home. Their luck is about to change! But what happens is not at all what Felix expected.
  • WINNER | 2020
    Chocolate Lily Award
  • WINNER | 2020
    Red Maple Award
  • WINNER | 2020
    Rocky Mountain Book Award
  • WINNER | 2019
    National Chapter IODE Violet Downey Award
  • WINNER | 2019
    Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize
  • NOMINEE | 2021
    Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award
  • NOMINEE | 2020
    Carnegie Medal
  • SHORTLIST | 2020
    Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award
  • AWARD | 2019
    OLA Best Bets for Children's Fiction
  • SHORTLIST | 2019
    Snow Willow Award
  • SHORTLIST | 2019
    Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards
  • SHORTLIST | 2019
    Red Cedar Book Award
  • LONGLIST | 2019
    Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award
  • NOMINEE | 2019
    Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award
  • LONGLIST | 2019
    Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award
  • NOMINEE | 2019
    Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award
One of CCBC’S Best Books for Kids & Teens (Spring 2019)

PRAISE FOR No Fixed Address: 

“Felix's deeply engrossing and fully immersive first-person narrative of homelessness is both illuminating and heartbreaking. . . . [I]t's his winsome and affecting determination that will win readers over. An outstanding addition to the inadequate-parent genre.” —STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews

"A well-written work of realism that will be a mirror to some and a window for others. A first purchase." —STARRED REVIEW, School Library Journal

"A charming wonder of a book." —STARRED REVIEW, Quill & Quire

"This may be a story about poverty and depression, but there’s hope and humour at its heart." —The Guardian

"Though Felix’s wry observations keep things from getting too dark, this is also a straightforward look at the circumstances that can lead to homelessness. Clear-eyed and heartfelt." —Booklist

"A timely, funny and compassionate book with an endearing protagonist." —The Independent

"Nielsen uses great writing, terrific characters, humor, and heartbreak to keep readers turning pages. This book deserves readership well beyond her intended middle-grade audience." —San Francisco Book Review

"Felix is a compelling narrator. . . .  Nielsen’s eye for detail . . . helps bring the story to life." —Horn Book

"Poignant and powerful without ever feeling overwrought, the topic of homelessness is treated in a way that invites thoughtful reflection. . . . Humor and heart abound in this extraordinary offering." —Canadian Children's Book News

"It is not often that a novel can provide such a great mix of memorable characters and pertinent, timely themes mixed with a good story and dashes of humour." —CM Magazine

"Susin Nielsen has written another book . . . that will touch the heart of every reader who opens the pages. No Fixed Address will make readers laugh, cry, and ask themselves: could this happen to me?  No Fixed Address is a novel that belongs in every school, from elementary to secondary as well as public libraries." —Resource Links
© Tallulah Photography

“This is the first day I’ve written in a diary. The reason I am, is ‘cos I love writing stories, and if I do grow up to be a famous writer, and later die, and they want to get a story of my life ... I guess I should keep (one).” SUSIN NIELSEN wrote this poorly constructed sentence when she was eleven years old. And while she isn’t exactly famous (although she likes to think she’s ‘Big in Belgium’), and no one has written the story of her life (maybe because she isn’t dead yet), she did predict her future.  She got her start writing for the hit TV series Degrassi Junior High, and went on to write for over twenty Canadian shows. More recently she turned her hand to novel writing. She is the author of five critically-acclaimed and award-winning titles, including Optimists Die First (long-listed for the UKLA 2018 award), We Are All Made of Molecules (winner of the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award and long-listed for UK’s Carnegie Medal), Word Nerd (winner of multiple Young Readers’ Choice Awards) and The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen (winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award, the Canadian Library Association’s Children’s Book of the Year, and the UK Literacy Award). Rolling Stone magazine put The Reluctant Journal at #27 in their list of “Top 40 Best YA Novels.”

Nielsen has been called ‘The John Green of Canada’ (and she once had a dream that he had been called ‘The Susin Nielsen of the United States’). Her books have been translated into many languages. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her family and two naughty cats.

View titles by Susin Nielsen

Classroom Activities for No Fixed Address

Classroom activities supplement discussion and traditional lessons with group projects and creative tasks. Can be used in pre-existing units and lessons, or as stand-alone.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

About

From beloved Governor General Literary Award--winning author Susin Nielsen comes a touching and funny middle-grade story about family, friendship and growing up when you're one step away from homelessness.

Felix Knuttson, twelve, is an endearing kid with an incredible brain for trivia. His mom Astrid is loving but unreliable; she can't hold onto a job, or a home. When they lose their apartment in Vancouver, they move into a camper van, just for August, till Astrid finds a job. September comes, they're still in the van; Felix must keep "home" a secret and give a fake address in order to enroll in school. Luckily, he finds true friends. As the weeks pass and life becomes grim, he struggles not to let anyone know how precarious his situation is. When he gets to compete on a national quiz show, Felix is determined to win -- the cash prize will bring them a home. Their luck is about to change! But what happens is not at all what Felix expected.

Awards

  • WINNER | 2020
    Chocolate Lily Award
  • WINNER | 2020
    Red Maple Award
  • WINNER | 2020
    Rocky Mountain Book Award
  • WINNER | 2019
    National Chapter IODE Violet Downey Award
  • WINNER | 2019
    Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize
  • NOMINEE | 2021
    Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award
  • NOMINEE | 2020
    Carnegie Medal
  • SHORTLIST | 2020
    Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award
  • AWARD | 2019
    OLA Best Bets for Children's Fiction
  • SHORTLIST | 2019
    Snow Willow Award
  • SHORTLIST | 2019
    Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards
  • SHORTLIST | 2019
    Red Cedar Book Award
  • LONGLIST | 2019
    Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award
  • NOMINEE | 2019
    Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award
  • LONGLIST | 2019
    Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award
  • NOMINEE | 2019
    Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award

Reviews

One of CCBC’S Best Books for Kids & Teens (Spring 2019)

PRAISE FOR No Fixed Address: 

“Felix's deeply engrossing and fully immersive first-person narrative of homelessness is both illuminating and heartbreaking. . . . [I]t's his winsome and affecting determination that will win readers over. An outstanding addition to the inadequate-parent genre.” —STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews

"A well-written work of realism that will be a mirror to some and a window for others. A first purchase." —STARRED REVIEW, School Library Journal

"A charming wonder of a book." —STARRED REVIEW, Quill & Quire

"This may be a story about poverty and depression, but there’s hope and humour at its heart." —The Guardian

"Though Felix’s wry observations keep things from getting too dark, this is also a straightforward look at the circumstances that can lead to homelessness. Clear-eyed and heartfelt." —Booklist

"A timely, funny and compassionate book with an endearing protagonist." —The Independent

"Nielsen uses great writing, terrific characters, humor, and heartbreak to keep readers turning pages. This book deserves readership well beyond her intended middle-grade audience." —San Francisco Book Review

"Felix is a compelling narrator. . . .  Nielsen’s eye for detail . . . helps bring the story to life." —Horn Book

"Poignant and powerful without ever feeling overwrought, the topic of homelessness is treated in a way that invites thoughtful reflection. . . . Humor and heart abound in this extraordinary offering." —Canadian Children's Book News

"It is not often that a novel can provide such a great mix of memorable characters and pertinent, timely themes mixed with a good story and dashes of humour." —CM Magazine

"Susin Nielsen has written another book . . . that will touch the heart of every reader who opens the pages. No Fixed Address will make readers laugh, cry, and ask themselves: could this happen to me?  No Fixed Address is a novel that belongs in every school, from elementary to secondary as well as public libraries." —Resource Links

Author

© Tallulah Photography

“This is the first day I’ve written in a diary. The reason I am, is ‘cos I love writing stories, and if I do grow up to be a famous writer, and later die, and they want to get a story of my life ... I guess I should keep (one).” SUSIN NIELSEN wrote this poorly constructed sentence when she was eleven years old. And while she isn’t exactly famous (although she likes to think she’s ‘Big in Belgium’), and no one has written the story of her life (maybe because she isn’t dead yet), she did predict her future.  She got her start writing for the hit TV series Degrassi Junior High, and went on to write for over twenty Canadian shows. More recently she turned her hand to novel writing. She is the author of five critically-acclaimed and award-winning titles, including Optimists Die First (long-listed for the UKLA 2018 award), We Are All Made of Molecules (winner of the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award and long-listed for UK’s Carnegie Medal), Word Nerd (winner of multiple Young Readers’ Choice Awards) and The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen (winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award, the Canadian Library Association’s Children’s Book of the Year, and the UK Literacy Award). Rolling Stone magazine put The Reluctant Journal at #27 in their list of “Top 40 Best YA Novels.”

Nielsen has been called ‘The John Green of Canada’ (and she once had a dream that he had been called ‘The Susin Nielsen of the United States’). Her books have been translated into many languages. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her family and two naughty cats.

View titles by Susin Nielsen

Guides

Classroom Activities for No Fixed Address

Classroom activities supplement discussion and traditional lessons with group projects and creative tasks. Can be used in pre-existing units and lessons, or as stand-alone.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)