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Nowhere Better Than Here
In a town slowly being destroyed by rising tides, one girl must fight to find a way to keep her community’s spirit from drowning.
For thirteen-year-old Jillian Robichaux, three things are bayou sunsets, her grandmother Nonnie’s stories, and the coastal Louisiana town of Boutin that she calls home.
When the worst flood in a century hits, Jillian and the rest of her community band together as they always do―but this time the damage may simply be too great. After the local school is padlocked and the bridges into town condemned, Jillian has no choice but to face the reality that she may be losing the only home she’s ever had.
But even when all hope seems lost, Jillian is determined to find a way to keep Boutin and its indomitable spirit alive. With the help of friends new and old, a loveable golden retriever, and Nonnie’s storytelling wisdom, Jillian does just that in this timely and heartfelt story of family, survival, and hope.
In her stunning debut middle grade novel, Sarah Guillory has written a lush story about an indomitable girl fighting against the effects of climate change.
For thirteen-year-old Jillian Robichaux, three things are bayou sunsets, her grandmother Nonnie’s stories, and the coastal Louisiana town of Boutin that she calls home.
When the worst flood in a century hits, Jillian and the rest of her community band together as they always do―but this time the damage may simply be too great. After the local school is padlocked and the bridges into town condemned, Jillian has no choice but to face the reality that she may be losing the only home she’s ever had.
But even when all hope seems lost, Jillian is determined to find a way to keep Boutin and its indomitable spirit alive. With the help of friends new and old, a loveable golden retriever, and Nonnie’s storytelling wisdom, Jillian does just that in this timely and heartfelt story of family, survival, and hope.
In her stunning debut middle grade novel, Sarah Guillory has written a lush story about an indomitable girl fighting against the effects of climate change.
1 pages, Audio CD
First published September 20, 2022
19 people are currently reading
377 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Guillory
5 books158 followersSarah Guillory is an award-winning teacher and author. She lives in Louisiana with her husband and dogs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
June 16, 2025
This is a Middle Grade climate change/flooding in Louisiana. I really love the characters in this book, and I love the writing in this book. The message in this book is so great. I love how strong this young girl is and how much this young girl does during this book. This book is a great read with great characters. The story is so moving as well. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Roaring Brook Press) or author (Sarah Guillory) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.
February 20, 2024
I loved reading this book, although it did make me choke up a few times.
Jillian loves her small town of Boutin, Louisiana. It’s where she and many generations of her family have always lived, worked, gone to school and church, and even died there. She can’t imagine living anywhere else, but Boutin is actually sinking underwater; unless something can be done quickly, moving away will be the only choice her family and community has…
The situation in this book reminded me of a “Walton’s” episode in which several families had to give up their land and homes in the mountains to make way for roads and national parks to be created. Not exactly the same scenario, but I always felt sorry for the families that left homes behind that had been there for many generations, every time I watched it.
Wonderful middle-grade read, with themes of family ties, determination, and lots of “girl power”!
Jillian loves her small town of Boutin, Louisiana. It’s where she and many generations of her family have always lived, worked, gone to school and church, and even died there. She can’t imagine living anywhere else, but Boutin is actually sinking underwater; unless something can be done quickly, moving away will be the only choice her family and community has…
The situation in this book reminded me of a “Walton’s” episode in which several families had to give up their land and homes in the mountains to make way for roads and national parks to be created. Not exactly the same scenario, but I always felt sorry for the families that left homes behind that had been there for many generations, every time I watched it.
Wonderful middle-grade read, with themes of family ties, determination, and lots of “girl power”!
June 29, 2022
There are a lot of middle grade fiction out there where the problem is fixed in the end. Those are all well and good, but things that are as big as climate change aren’t going to be fixed at the end of any books, any time soon.
The basic story is that Julian lives in a swampy area of Louisiana that has been slowly flooding. The town that was around 50 years ago, is mostly underwater. She is only 13 years, and didn’t realize this was happening, until the town floods again, and the state decides not to fix the bridges, which means that people can’t live in the town anymore.
She has heard stories all her life, and realizes if her town is going away, she should collect the stories, so at least those will remain. And then she meets a ecological scientist, who is trying to save what she can, and although Julian would like to save her town, that is not something she has control over. But she can control the narrative, so to speak, and gets the stories she can before the town is gone for good.
I love that her ambitions, and her hopes to save her town weren’t so much unreasonable, but that she felt she had to try. I liked that she tried so hard to get others to remain in the town, despite it being eaten away by water. And I loved some of the plain knowledge that people spread around her.
For example, one of her friends tells her “Places and people don’t get to define you, you define you.”
And when her absent father fails, again to show up for something important, her mother tells her “You are not the way other people treat you. Don’t ever think that him not showing up tonight has anything to do with you. It doesn’t. It has to do with him and no one else.”
And when she is told why the state won’t try to repair the roads in town she is told “They have to use the money for places that matter,” dad said. “We matter,” I muttered. Home mattered. “Places with more people,” Mama said.
Very real, heartfelt book. I loved it and loved reading it.
The basic story is that Julian lives in a swampy area of Louisiana that has been slowly flooding. The town that was around 50 years ago, is mostly underwater. She is only 13 years, and didn’t realize this was happening, until the town floods again, and the state decides not to fix the bridges, which means that people can’t live in the town anymore.
She has heard stories all her life, and realizes if her town is going away, she should collect the stories, so at least those will remain. And then she meets a ecological scientist, who is trying to save what she can, and although Julian would like to save her town, that is not something she has control over. But she can control the narrative, so to speak, and gets the stories she can before the town is gone for good.
I love that her ambitions, and her hopes to save her town weren’t so much unreasonable, but that she felt she had to try. I liked that she tried so hard to get others to remain in the town, despite it being eaten away by water. And I loved some of the plain knowledge that people spread around her.
For example, one of her friends tells her “Places and people don’t get to define you, you define you.”
And when her absent father fails, again to show up for something important, her mother tells her “You are not the way other people treat you. Don’t ever think that him not showing up tonight has anything to do with you. It doesn’t. It has to do with him and no one else.”
And when she is told why the state won’t try to repair the roads in town she is told “They have to use the money for places that matter,” dad said. “We matter,” I muttered. Home mattered. “Places with more people,” Mama said.
Very real, heartfelt book. I loved it and loved reading it.
May 25, 2025
I think this would be the perfect book for ages 10-16. All of the characters in the story were very complex and well written. The global warming and environmental themes were very topical, but easy for kids to understand. I also thought her parents’ divorce was discussed very well and was quite realistic.
October 7, 2022
Might be my fave book of 2022. Thanks, Aaryn!! You were right. ❤️
Beautiful love story about home and place and tradition. Heartbreaking but honest and powerful.
Read it!!!!!
Beautiful love story about home and place and tradition. Heartbreaking but honest and powerful.
Read it!!!!!
October 8, 2022
Because this is a middle school book, I know many adults will think it is not for them. They would be wrong! Anyone who cares about our land and everyone from Louisiana should read this book.
September 15, 2022
Excellent middle grade fiction with a strong sense of place and a young climate activist.
December 16, 2023
A Maine Student Book Award nominee for 23|24.
Jillian Robichaux knows a few things for certain; she loves her Nonnie’s stories, and the bayou she lives on, and the state of Louisiana is flooding.
When a flood threatens her small town of Boutin, life as she’s known it will change. But so must Jillian. She will learn about conservation, both land conservation and preserving the stories of the people in her town. I really enjoyed this story. It had such heart.
Jillian Robichaux knows a few things for certain; she loves her Nonnie’s stories, and the bayou she lives on, and the state of Louisiana is flooding.
When a flood threatens her small town of Boutin, life as she’s known it will change. But so must Jillian. She will learn about conservation, both land conservation and preserving the stories of the people in her town. I really enjoyed this story. It had such heart.
January 1, 2025
Since around the time I took a summer college course at LUMCON, I’ve dedicated my career to restoring Louisiana’s coast. Also since that transformative summer in college I’ve wanted to write a book much like this one. Sarah Guillory did what I couldn’t do and she did it brilliantly. This book moved me to tears more than once and reminded me why I do what I do. The land that Louisiana has lost and continues to lose every day matters. There are places that used to appear on maps of our state that don’t exist anymore. Not in reality and not on a map. But people lived on that land, made memories on that land that matter. Sometimes my job feels like a losing battle. But I won’t give up on Louisiana’s wetlands or the memories and stories it holds. And I won’t give up on the story I want to write someday about this place I love so dearly. I’ve lived other places but nowhere else has felt like home in the same way Louisiana does. There really is nowhere better than here.
September 28, 2022
This book is so beautifully written! You’ll fall in love with Jillian, Nonnie, and the entire family. The Robichaux family lives in small town Louisiana, and when they are hit by a terrible flood life altering events occur. Jillian fights preserve her cherished world. You do not want to miss out on heartfelt story of hope and survival in a fast changing world!
May 14, 2024
How are we preparing the kids of today for the sea level rise they will experience in the future? That's what this book is fantastic for: by immersing middle grade readers in an environment where people are experiencing sea level rise right now.
Usually a young adult book is all about a young person growing up and leaving home. Not this one. It's all about home leaving her. Over the last twenty years, Louisiana has lost over 20,000 square miles of land because it has tumbled into the sea (equivalent to the size of the State of Delaware or Rhode Island). All of this is happening while rarely 'making the paper.' This book is the young adult title that the state of Louisiana has chosen to represent itself at the National Book Festival.
I can't remember the last time I read a book with a working class rural teenage protagonist, but Jillian is perfect as a character for this story. She doesn't have so many prospects and she knows it. She's visited all of four states by age 13, and she knows others have much bigger horizons or dreams. She has chosen to embed herself deeply into the multi-generational small town that makes up her bayou-oriented community. As she says, 'nobody wears a tie in Boutain.'
I thought this book displayed beautifully a teenager's appreciation for the social web that she is a part of and what a loss it would be to give up that community of people who share the same traditions, stories, and experiences. Truly, Jillian is an 'old soul.' Because her working class father never comes through for her, the abandonment she feels as her home disappears is a compoundment of loss that feels way too real. You know there are kids out there experiencing this stuff!
There are two othe books for adults that deal with sea rise that I know of. One, is a Pulitzer Prize finalist called The Rising: Dispatches From the New American Shore, by Elizabeth Rush. The other one is rumored to have scared the bejesus out of Stephen King himself. It's called The Deluge, by Stephen Markley.
The middle grade novel, Nowhere Better Than Here, by Sarah Guillory is not a terrifying read. But it will expand the imagination of any reader about what sea rise is like currently and what it will be like coming for others in the future. I read it as a grown-up and recommend it to everyone middle grade on up.
Why not prepare our young people for this reality of coastal erosion and sea level rise? Last week's headlines that carbon continues to increase in our atmosphere, and the speed with which it is increasing is actually accelerating, proves that sea level rise will all be taking place globally before you know it.
Usually a young adult book is all about a young person growing up and leaving home. Not this one. It's all about home leaving her. Over the last twenty years, Louisiana has lost over 20,000 square miles of land because it has tumbled into the sea (equivalent to the size of the State of Delaware or Rhode Island). All of this is happening while rarely 'making the paper.' This book is the young adult title that the state of Louisiana has chosen to represent itself at the National Book Festival.
I can't remember the last time I read a book with a working class rural teenage protagonist, but Jillian is perfect as a character for this story. She doesn't have so many prospects and she knows it. She's visited all of four states by age 13, and she knows others have much bigger horizons or dreams. She has chosen to embed herself deeply into the multi-generational small town that makes up her bayou-oriented community. As she says, 'nobody wears a tie in Boutain.'
I thought this book displayed beautifully a teenager's appreciation for the social web that she is a part of and what a loss it would be to give up that community of people who share the same traditions, stories, and experiences. Truly, Jillian is an 'old soul.' Because her working class father never comes through for her, the abandonment she feels as her home disappears is a compoundment of loss that feels way too real. You know there are kids out there experiencing this stuff!
There are two othe books for adults that deal with sea rise that I know of. One, is a Pulitzer Prize finalist called The Rising: Dispatches From the New American Shore, by Elizabeth Rush. The other one is rumored to have scared the bejesus out of Stephen King himself. It's called The Deluge, by Stephen Markley.
The middle grade novel, Nowhere Better Than Here, by Sarah Guillory is not a terrifying read. But it will expand the imagination of any reader about what sea rise is like currently and what it will be like coming for others in the future. I read it as a grown-up and recommend it to everyone middle grade on up.
Why not prepare our young people for this reality of coastal erosion and sea level rise? Last week's headlines that carbon continues to increase in our atmosphere, and the speed with which it is increasing is actually accelerating, proves that sea level rise will all be taking place globally before you know it.
April 17, 2023
Nowhere Better Than Here by Sarah Guillory
⭐️⭐️⭐️
[Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan Children's Publishing Group for giving me this ARC to read and review!]
I am going to start this review by saying this book wasn't specifically for me. It holds a lot of important messages when it comes to the tragedy of losing your home to weather, grief, friendship, and even realization.
I enjoyed the story as a whole for what it stands for: when your home is being drowned out by a flood, you should do everything as a community to come together and try to save your home. But the main character is where I struggle to connect to the story fully.
The main character, Jillian, was very selfish, not understanding when it came to someone else's decision to leave their home and move somewhere else. She's very judgemental toward her friend Maddie when she has a different point of view toward their home flooding but Maddie has always shown her loyalty and friendship toward Jillian and Jillian still doesn't act like a good friend toward Maddie at all. Jillian also isn't very understanding to her new friend Mina, who just wants to help her. And when they argue, Jillian states Mina has no idea how she feels.
This is a great representation of what it means to not know what someone is going through by just assuming or looking at someone. Jillian later learns that Mina's home flooded too, and she does know, and that's why she wants to help. Jillian also understands why Maddie has her own different point of view, and they all come together again as friends in the end. It's a great growth for Jillian to go from judgmental to understanding by the end!
I really love that Jillian wants to make a difference and change what is out of her control. It's a great lesson for everyone who reads this book that you have the ability to try and make a difference.
This book holds so many different lessons throughout it, that a home isn't always a place, it's the stories and the history. That someone may be going through something, but you can't always see it. And that making a difference doesn't always mean you win, it means you have tried. Great story and highly recommend!
⭐️⭐️⭐️
[Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan Children's Publishing Group for giving me this ARC to read and review!]
I am going to start this review by saying this book wasn't specifically for me. It holds a lot of important messages when it comes to the tragedy of losing your home to weather, grief, friendship, and even realization.
I enjoyed the story as a whole for what it stands for: when your home is being drowned out by a flood, you should do everything as a community to come together and try to save your home. But the main character is where I struggle to connect to the story fully.
The main character, Jillian, was very selfish, not understanding when it came to someone else's decision to leave their home and move somewhere else. She's very judgemental toward her friend Maddie when she has a different point of view toward their home flooding but Maddie has always shown her loyalty and friendship toward Jillian and Jillian still doesn't act like a good friend toward Maddie at all. Jillian also isn't very understanding to her new friend Mina, who just wants to help her. And when they argue, Jillian states Mina has no idea how she feels.
This is a great representation of what it means to not know what someone is going through by just assuming or looking at someone. Jillian later learns that Mina's home flooded too, and she does know, and that's why she wants to help. Jillian also understands why Maddie has her own different point of view, and they all come together again as friends in the end. It's a great growth for Jillian to go from judgmental to understanding by the end!
I really love that Jillian wants to make a difference and change what is out of her control. It's a great lesson for everyone who reads this book that you have the ability to try and make a difference.
This book holds so many different lessons throughout it, that a home isn't always a place, it's the stories and the history. That someone may be going through something, but you can't always see it. And that making a difference doesn't always mean you win, it means you have tried. Great story and highly recommend!
June 30, 2022
A small shrimping town in Louisiana receives an unusually heavy rainstorm that lasts for days (on and off). It causes extensive flooding and highlights the problems of slowly encroaching water that now covers a great deal more of the town than it did 50 years before.
Jillian, a 13 year old middle-school student, and legacy member of the community, tries to have the school reopened--with the help of two friends--and works on other projects that may sway others to her cause.
In the mean time, her unreliable father shows up, disrupting everyone's lives.
The focus of this book is split between ecology, preserving the land and preventing further loss, and a love for the marsh areas where this girl has grown up; that she considers to be a large part of her identity. She isn't sure whether she will be the same person if she has to leave.
It's a moving story of the disappointments of having divorced parents, watching the destruction of a beloved community and the disappearance of the land itself, and the discovery of inner strength to make the best choices.
4/5
Thanks to Roaring Brook Press and NetGalley for the preview of this ebook; the review is voluntary.
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#MiddleGradeEnvironmentandEcologyBooks
Jillian, a 13 year old middle-school student, and legacy member of the community, tries to have the school reopened--with the help of two friends--and works on other projects that may sway others to her cause.
In the mean time, her unreliable father shows up, disrupting everyone's lives.
The focus of this book is split between ecology, preserving the land and preventing further loss, and a love for the marsh areas where this girl has grown up; that she considers to be a large part of her identity. She isn't sure whether she will be the same person if she has to leave.
It's a moving story of the disappointments of having divorced parents, watching the destruction of a beloved community and the disappearance of the land itself, and the discovery of inner strength to make the best choices.
4/5
Thanks to Roaring Brook Press and NetGalley for the preview of this ebook; the review is voluntary.
#NowhereBetterThanHere
#SarahGuillory #SarahGuilloryAuth
#RoaringBrookPress #MacmillanUSA
#ChildrensFictionNaturalDisasterFlood
#ChildrensFictionDivorce
#ChildrensFictionUnreliableParent
#ChildrensFictionLandFamilyIdentity
#ChildrensBooksonCountryLife
#ChildrensEnvironmentBooksKindle Store
#ChildrensEnvironmentandEcologyBooks
#MiddleGradeFiction
#MiddleGradeFictionNaturalDisasterFlood
#MiddleGradeFictionDivorce
#MiddleGradeFictionUnreliableParent
#MiddleGradeFictionLandFamilyIdentity
#MiddleGradeBooksonCountryLife
#MiddleGradeEnvironmentBooksKindle Store
#MiddleGradeEnvironmentandEcologyBooks
January 21, 2025
7th Grade +
5 Stars
Nowhere Better than here is a great story about activism and dealing with anger in the face of a hopeless situation. Environmental issues have caused the fictional town of Boutin, Louisiana to lose ground to the tides over the span of a few generations. After an unpredicted storm cuts through the town, many are left wondering if this place is even worth saving. The school board closes the school permanently and the government determines they will not be fixing structures like bridges. Businesses shut down and people look for opportunities to leave. All of this absolutely devastates 13 year old Jillian who loves Boutin with her whole heart. She has never wanted anything more than to grow up here where her family has always been.
This book does such a great job handling the complex revelations of Jillian. She is angry and upset and feels abandoned by anyone who wants to leave and the adults around her. It does a good job showing her as a well rounded but flawed character. She takes her anger and channels it in both good and bad endeavors. It gets her caught up in a passion project but also drives her to shut out any other view outside of her own. But she acknowledges her own prejudice in assuming no one outside her town would know what it is like to lose everything. This isn’t a book about hard work magically saving the day. It is about doing what you can do to help prevent disasters like this in the future. As much as you root for Jillian’s passion to reopen the schools, it also acknowledges how unrealistic that is. But hope is not all lost, there are still things that can be done to help prevent the next generation from watching their home go under. This is a book that can resonate with the future generations who are currently angry at the state of our world. It is a reminder to keep moving forward.
5 Stars
Nowhere Better than here is a great story about activism and dealing with anger in the face of a hopeless situation. Environmental issues have caused the fictional town of Boutin, Louisiana to lose ground to the tides over the span of a few generations. After an unpredicted storm cuts through the town, many are left wondering if this place is even worth saving. The school board closes the school permanently and the government determines they will not be fixing structures like bridges. Businesses shut down and people look for opportunities to leave. All of this absolutely devastates 13 year old Jillian who loves Boutin with her whole heart. She has never wanted anything more than to grow up here where her family has always been.
This book does such a great job handling the complex revelations of Jillian. She is angry and upset and feels abandoned by anyone who wants to leave and the adults around her. It does a good job showing her as a well rounded but flawed character. She takes her anger and channels it in both good and bad endeavors. It gets her caught up in a passion project but also drives her to shut out any other view outside of her own. But she acknowledges her own prejudice in assuming no one outside her town would know what it is like to lose everything. This isn’t a book about hard work magically saving the day. It is about doing what you can do to help prevent disasters like this in the future. As much as you root for Jillian’s passion to reopen the schools, it also acknowledges how unrealistic that is. But hope is not all lost, there are still things that can be done to help prevent the next generation from watching their home go under. This is a book that can resonate with the future generations who are currently angry at the state of our world. It is a reminder to keep moving forward.
September 29, 2022
Wow, this one is hard to review. The beginning and the ending are great – just so heartfelt from a rambunctious young girl’s point of view about water level rise losses in Southern Louisiana, especially the culture formed by the land. She really sticks the ending. BUT the middle of the book is a bit of a repetitive slog, where Jillian is fighting for a solution that even the reader thinks is wrong. The main characters speak more like English teachers rather than pre-teens, which is a bit strange. And all the characters are white or seem white! (I checked and in Terrebonne Parish where this story appears to be (Boutin is an imaginary town, but real landmarks are incorporated), the population is 67% white, so maybe that’s ok? BUT I haven’t read anything that is as strong as this about this particular topic, which is so critical right now in the Climate change arena. The average American pre-teen probably doesn’t even know about the fact that this year 30% of Pakistan was under water – but this sure brought it home for me. I wish there'd been more in the book about the nature in coastal Louisiana, but the only animal we learn of is a (lovely) dog. BOY DO I WISH she’d had a better editor (what's up, Roaring Brook?) and that this book of amazing promise had actually been polished into the light it should have had.
October 25, 2022
Having spent almost a fourth of my life in Louisiana, Sarah Guillory’s middle grade novel, Nowhere Better Than Here enticed me. Jillian Robichaux loves her home with bayou sunsets, a story-telling grandmother, and interacting with the nature she finds in the coastal town of Boutin.
The worst flood of the century and rising tides threaten to bring all of that to an end. The local school has become a second home after her father abandoned Jillian and her mother. Community members have become like family. Now, the school is condemned along with the bridges into town. Neighbors are making hard choices about leaving or staying. What can a thirteen-year-old do against what seems like impossible odds? Then the deserting father turns up needing his own shelter from the storm. In a bit of a bright side, he brings a lovable golden retriever with him.
Jillian discovers that her grandmother is not the only Boutin resident with stories and finds a way to preserve the history and hope for the community she loves. Sarah Guillory tells a great story with accuracy for the lay of the land in South Louisiana and its challenges from climate change. I recommend it for middle schoolers and for those who love that area and its unique character.
The worst flood of the century and rising tides threaten to bring all of that to an end. The local school has become a second home after her father abandoned Jillian and her mother. Community members have become like family. Now, the school is condemned along with the bridges into town. Neighbors are making hard choices about leaving or staying. What can a thirteen-year-old do against what seems like impossible odds? Then the deserting father turns up needing his own shelter from the storm. In a bit of a bright side, he brings a lovable golden retriever with him.
Jillian discovers that her grandmother is not the only Boutin resident with stories and finds a way to preserve the history and hope for the community she loves. Sarah Guillory tells a great story with accuracy for the lay of the land in South Louisiana and its challenges from climate change. I recommend it for middle schoolers and for those who love that area and its unique character.
August 11, 2022
Nowhere Better Than Here
by Sarah Guillory
Pub Date 20 Sep 2022
Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Roaring Brook Press
Children's Fiction
I am reviewing a copy of Nowhere Better Than Here through Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Roaring Book Press and Netgalley:
Jillian Robichaux, is a thirteen year old who finds three things sacred bayou sunsets, her grandmother Nonnie’s stories, and the coastal Louisiana town of Boutin that she calls home.
But after the worst flood in a century hits, Jillian and the rest of her community band together as they always do but this time the damage may simply be too great. After the local school is padlocked and the bridges into town condemned, Jillian has no choice but to face the reality that she may be losing the only home she’s ever had.
Even after all Hope seems lost, Jillian is determined to find a way to keep Boutin and its indomitable spirit alive. With the help of friends new and old, a loveable golden retriever, and Nonnie’s storytelling wisdom, Jillian does just that in this timely and heartfelt story of family, survival, and hope.
I give Nowhere Better Than Here five out of five stars!
Happy Reading!
by Sarah Guillory
Pub Date 20 Sep 2022
Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Roaring Brook Press
Children's Fiction
I am reviewing a copy of Nowhere Better Than Here through Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Roaring Book Press and Netgalley:
Jillian Robichaux, is a thirteen year old who finds three things sacred bayou sunsets, her grandmother Nonnie’s stories, and the coastal Louisiana town of Boutin that she calls home.
But after the worst flood in a century hits, Jillian and the rest of her community band together as they always do but this time the damage may simply be too great. After the local school is padlocked and the bridges into town condemned, Jillian has no choice but to face the reality that she may be losing the only home she’s ever had.
Even after all Hope seems lost, Jillian is determined to find a way to keep Boutin and its indomitable spirit alive. With the help of friends new and old, a loveable golden retriever, and Nonnie’s storytelling wisdom, Jillian does just that in this timely and heartfelt story of family, survival, and hope.
I give Nowhere Better Than Here five out of five stars!
Happy Reading!
January 4, 2024
Mark Twain Reader Selector
Should it be a Mark Twain? Maybe. There's a lot of strong realistic fiction options this year, and this one is doesn't have the same levity as the others.
That does NOT mean it is a bad book. This is a great book. It has a great introduction to the climate crisis and introduces it in a recognizable way for students. The setting is unique, and it is hard not to fall in love with Boutin through Jillian's descriptions. The importance of oral history cannot be understated. Kids may need some support in looking up the Louisiana specific lingo, and students who are not from small towns may have a bit of a learning curve, but this could be a good addition to science curriculum and it has strong themes of courage and standing up for what you believe in.
Side note (and spoiler): I liked how the conflicts, like Jillian's relationship with her dad, were never fixed. It's very realistic for kids, and it reassures them that familial issues are NOT their fault. Jillian still has to leave Boutin because it isn't safe, and that is also real and raw. But she makes friends and finds people who care, and that is what matters.
Should it be a Mark Twain? Maybe. There's a lot of strong realistic fiction options this year, and this one is doesn't have the same levity as the others.
That does NOT mean it is a bad book. This is a great book. It has a great introduction to the climate crisis and introduces it in a recognizable way for students. The setting is unique, and it is hard not to fall in love with Boutin through Jillian's descriptions. The importance of oral history cannot be understated. Kids may need some support in looking up the Louisiana specific lingo, and students who are not from small towns may have a bit of a learning curve, but this could be a good addition to science curriculum and it has strong themes of courage and standing up for what you believe in.
Side note (and spoiler): I liked how the conflicts, like Jillian's relationship with her dad, were never fixed. It's very realistic for kids, and it reassures them that familial issues are NOT their fault. Jillian still has to leave Boutin because it isn't safe, and that is also real and raw. But she makes friends and finds people who care, and that is what matters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 12, 2022
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Very interesting look at how climate change has affected the landscape in the Louisiana bayou. Jillian lives in the small town Boutin, with her Mama and Nonnie; her parents are divorced and her father is unreliable about visiting. When a heavy rain storm damages the area, and especially her school, Jillian is distressed to find that she will have to go to neighboring Carolton Middle School for a while. She does have a good experience there, befriending Nina and learning from a Black, female scientist who comes to present to her class, but is devastated to find that the Boutin schools are going to be shut down permanently. She's been collecting stories from older residents to preserve their French Creole culture, but will she be able to save her community? Vivid descriptions of the problems facing bayou communities and a charismatic main character help this one shine.
Very interesting look at how climate change has affected the landscape in the Louisiana bayou. Jillian lives in the small town Boutin, with her Mama and Nonnie; her parents are divorced and her father is unreliable about visiting. When a heavy rain storm damages the area, and especially her school, Jillian is distressed to find that she will have to go to neighboring Carolton Middle School for a while. She does have a good experience there, befriending Nina and learning from a Black, female scientist who comes to present to her class, but is devastated to find that the Boutin schools are going to be shut down permanently. She's been collecting stories from older residents to preserve their French Creole culture, but will she be able to save her community? Vivid descriptions of the problems facing bayou communities and a charismatic main character help this one shine.
February 25, 2023
Jillian lives with her mother and grandmother Nonnie in a small Louisiana bayou town that has seen better times. When a heavy rain floods the town (again), the water damages roads and the school. Jillian begins a campaign to have her school reopened after the school board determines it is time to close the school for good. When Jillian helps Nonnie rescue a resident after her house floods, she becomes interested in the history of her town after helping save some old photographs. With much of the town already underwater, Jillian starts gathering stories and photographs of her town before it is too late. Not just a story about the effects of climate change and the oil and gas industry on the life of residents of low-lying Gulf areas, this is also a story about friendship and family and the impact one young person can have on her home.
March 23, 2023
4.5 stars. An important story on many levels. The water-levels are encroaching on Jillian’s Louisiana town of Boutin. After yet another flood, her school is closed. Later she learns the school board has shut it down permanently. By helping her neighbors with the flood, she learns the history of her beloved town. Due to the inspiration of a local nonprofit, she meets an ecologist who encourages her to assert her voice. Small steps make big changes. Jillian records the stories of her family and neighbors as she fights to keep her town afloat. But the waters keep raising.
A beautiful story of social justice, environmental activism, and family stories woven together to info, instruct, and ignite young readers. Really enjoyed listening to this story.
A beautiful story of social justice, environmental activism, and family stories woven together to info, instruct, and ignite young readers. Really enjoyed listening to this story.
May 4, 2023
This book brings so much light to the issues that coastal Louisiana is currently facing. While the characters and the main town are fictional, the problem is real. There are parts of coastal Louisiana that simply no longer exist and we cannot fix that. However, we can preserve the history of those places. We just have to work at it. The sad part is that many, even native Louisianans, don’t realize how big of an issue this is for small towns along the coast.
As someone who loves Louisiana and it’s history, I enjoyed this book. I could see this being used in a classroom for cross-curriculum lessons in social studies, science, and ELA. I can see kids relating to the main character by finding something that they are passionate about and finding ways to become part of the solution.
As someone who loves Louisiana and it’s history, I enjoyed this book. I could see this being used in a classroom for cross-curriculum lessons in social studies, science, and ELA. I can see kids relating to the main character by finding something that they are passionate about and finding ways to become part of the solution.
July 23, 2023
Sweet, timely, and emotionally hits the beats that it should. I think it was too serious though; there are bits of humor when the main character starts to gather stories from the community, but I think there needed to be a little bit more lightness for this to feel not so much a Serious Societal Topic Middle Grade Book™. I feel like I've read the dad storyline so often in middle grade lately too. I really liked the grandma and the dog. I thought it'd have a little bit more survival aspects than activism, and maybe it needed a little more of the former for the latter to hit. I do appreciate that it isn't all tied up in a neat bow at the end and I appreciate the main character's drive and passion.
October 6, 2022
NOWHERE BETTER THAN HERE
Sarah Guillory
I think the age group here is Middle School and the main topic is environmental climate change and land erosion. It is a topic that needs to have MORE than a few mentions in literature.
The story is set in a shrimping town in Louisiana that is flooded by an unusually heavy rainstorm that floods the town and fails to withdraw. Jillian, a middle schooler doesn't want to go to another school, she wants her old school with the same old teachers.
This is eco-fiction and rather reminded me of WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING, marsh, and mean unreliable father. It was an average read.
3 stars
Happy Reading!
Sarah Guillory
I think the age group here is Middle School and the main topic is environmental climate change and land erosion. It is a topic that needs to have MORE than a few mentions in literature.
The story is set in a shrimping town in Louisiana that is flooded by an unusually heavy rainstorm that floods the town and fails to withdraw. Jillian, a middle schooler doesn't want to go to another school, she wants her old school with the same old teachers.
This is eco-fiction and rather reminded me of WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING, marsh, and mean unreliable father. It was an average read.
3 stars
Happy Reading!
January 5, 2023
This wonderful middle grade book tells the story of Jillian, a middle schooler struggling to accept that her beloved coastal Louisiana home is disappearing beneath the rising water.
This was such a great book, I thought that Jillian was a good protagonist, her voice was strong and clear throughout the story and her fears and reactions were realistic for a 13 year old.
I also found the subject of Louisiana's sinking coast interesting, and I think that lots of other people will enjoy this short, lovely book just as much as I have
April 29, 2023
Jillian's neighborhood floods in Louisiana in this sea-level rise/climate crisis book. When officials say the bridges are unsafe and they are going to close the schools for good, Jillian organizes a petition to save her school. It's an important topic and the decision to save stories as they say goodbye to their town is satisfying.
Craft note: The use of interiority (giving voice to the character's thoughts) is important to bringing readers close to the protagonist; this is the first time I've seen too much of it.
Craft note: The use of interiority (giving voice to the character's thoughts) is important to bringing readers close to the protagonist; this is the first time I've seen too much of it.
February 25, 2025
The main character is a little inconsiderate and selfish, and not in a likable or charming way, and makes this book a slog to go through whenever it pauses for the main character to whine about people making their own decisions. As a person who has lived in Louisiana for a majority of their life so far, I feel like this book is trying to constantly remind you that it takes place there, and all the references to Louisiana feel a tad bit stereotypical. The story is mediocre, not entirely bad though, but I feel like its cons outweigh its pros.
July 25, 2023
I thought this book was okay. It had a good storyline but it wasn’t a page turner. There wasn’t much action in it. Halfway through the book I found myself just reading the rest of it to get through it and move on to other books. I wasn’t ever super excited to pick it back up and read it. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 3 is that overall the book was well written and other people might like it since there isn’t a lot of action. It’s just not the book for me.
July 19, 2022
Nowhere Better Than Here by Sarah Guillory is an intense story about a girl finding herself when she's losing the things she loves the most. I had never heard of the devastation happening to Louisiana and this book was a wonderful introduction. The side story of Jillian's relationship with her father was heartbreaking as well. I appreciated that this was a "save the planet" type of story, but not in a beat you over the head with it kind of way. You grow to feel for Jillian and her family and what they are going through and root for her to fix everything. The story was incredibly realistic and will stay with me for a while. Very well written.
September 26, 2022
Nowhere Better Than Here by Sarah Guillory is a book written for middle grade students. It is set in Louisiana and touches on flooding and climate change.
All the characters were well-rounded and the reading was enjoyable and touching.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
All the characters were well-rounded and the reading was enjoyable and touching.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
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