The Ambassador of Nowhere by Kimberly Willis Holt

Title: The Ambassador of Nowhere by Kimberly Willis Holt

Author: Kimberly Willis Holt

Release date: 12th January 2021

Publisher: Henry Holt & Company

Genres: middle grade, realistic fiction, historical fiction

Buy link: Amazon | Barnes & Nobel | Books-a-Million | Bookshop | IndieBound | Powells 

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis

Kimberly Willis Holt's The Ambassador of Nowhere, Texas is a stunning post-9/11 companion to the National Book Award-winner When Zachary Beaver Came to Town.

Decades after the Vietnam War and Toby’s life-changing summer with Zachary Beaver, Toby’s daughter Rylee is at a crossroads—her best friend Twig has started pushing her away just as Joe, a new kid from New York, settles into their small town of Antler. Rylee befriends Joe and learns that Joe’s father was a first responder on 9/11. The two unlikely friends soon embark on a project to find Zachary Beaver and hopefully reconnect him with Rylee's father almost thirty years later.

This beautiful middle-grade novel is a tribute to friendships—old and new—and explores the challenges of rebuilding what may seem lost or destroyed.

Christy Ottaviano Books

Source: Goodreads

My Review 

The Ambassador of Nowhere is a middle grade book that reads as a love letter to the children of 9/11. It’s a fictional story but the premise is based on a true American history; the terror attacks that once had robbed lives of many and left about more than 3000 children parentless. Despite the sentimentality that lingers about the catastrophe itself, Holt’s exceptional and heartfelt writing will take you on a delightful journey—centering on themes that most readers would find this as an engaging read such as friendships, redemption, home, and family.

Written from the first point of view, we’re introduced to the main character named Rylee Wilson, a seventh grade, who has a best friend named Twig. Yet their relationship becomes distant when Twig comes from an international trip with a domestic problem on her shoulders. Their misunderstanding builds the space in between them, leading both of them astray. The turmoil between Rylee and Twig would be a turning page for readers who seek for what a true friendship is. Another true friendship can also be found in the project lead by Rylee and a newcomer boy in the town named Joe. The aim of this project is to look for Zachary Beaver, an old, long-forgotten friend of her Dad and her Uncle. 

Paralleling with the timeline and the terrorism, Holt delivers us such a successful storyline that makes sense in a way of how she conducts the aftermath of the event. Rylee is not affected by the terrorism since she lives in Antler but the boy, Joe, who comes from New York is affected badly. The relationship between Rylee and Joe grows beautifully as they are able to overcome their hardships by focusing on the aforesaid project. It’s a kind of platonic love in which I think readers will find the relationship likeable.

This book is written so deftly and I hardly find any part that feels disjointed to me. I would recommend this book to anyone who favours well-rounded characters with friendships as the major theme. I also want to add that it’s my first time finding about this historical event and I was happened to born in the same year the terrorism had occurred. If Holt doesn’t pen this story then I wouldn’t know. For that, I want to thank her for bringing this event to life with an impactful narration. 

Thank you Netgalley and Turn The Page Tours for this arc in exchange for an honest review. 

About the Author

Kimberly Willis Holt is the author of the Piper Reed series, including Piper Reed, Navy Brat, Piper Reed, Clubhouse Queen, and Piper Reed, Rodeo Star. She has written many award-winning novels, including The Water Seeker and My Louisiana Sky, as well as the picture books Waiting for Gregory and Skinny Brown Dog. A former Navy brat herself, Holt was born in Pensacola, Florida, and lived all over the U.S. and the world—from Paris to Norfolk to Guam to New Orleans. Holt long dreamed of being a writer, but first worked as a radio news director, marketed a water park, and was an interior decorator, among other jobs. A few years after she started writing, her third book, When Zachary Beaver Came to Town, won a National Book Award for Young People's Literature. She resides in West Texas with her family.

Giveaway Information

Up for grabs is ONE (1) physical copy of The Ambassador of Nowhere Texas by Kimberly Willis Holt. This giveaway is open to US residents only and will run from January 11th to January 18th at 11:59 PM CST. To enter, click the link below!

Tour Schedule 

January 11th

Turn the Page Tours – Welcome Post

January 12th

Adventures Of A Travelers Wife – Review
natreviewsbooks – Review

January 13th

Woven From Words – Review

January 14th

A Court of Coffee and Books – Review

January 15th

Melancholic Blithe – Review
Musfira’s Shelf – Review

January 16th

Belle’s Archive – Review
Tirabookreviews – Review

January 17th

Fangirl.Bookgram – Review
Meli’s Book Reviews – Review