A Dog Called Homeless

Sarah Lean’s A Dog Called Homeless makes topical social issues accessible to young readers by incorporating them into the coming-of-age genre. By using the perspective of a young girl to explore the social issues surrounding the unhoused community and people with disabilities, Lean establishes relatability, helping readers draw analogies to their own lives. In the book, characters who belong to these communities become friends with Cally, and she does what she can to help them feel loved and seen.

Empathy for Unhoused People emerges as a theme, primarily driven by the character of Jed. Cally is at the age when she’s creating formative ideas about the people in her community. She makes a choice to believe what she sees, the goodness in Jed, over her father’s instructions to ignore them. This is a useful tool for young readers because they’re forming their own opinions. Cally combats the oppression that unhoused people face in ways that are realistic for someone her age but still make a difference. She gives Jed food when she can and always treats him with kindness. While many people ignore him, Cally sees him for who he is: a kind man, and a great friend. Likewise, the financial hardship that Cally’s Dad and his coworkers face helps frame the idea that becoming unhoused isn’t usually a choice, as Dad initially claims. While Dad and his coworkers don’t end up unhoused, their situation demonstrates how quickly someone can lose their income, which is often one of the first steps to losing one’s home.

The other social issue that Sarah Lean addresses in the book is the importance of independence for people with disabilities. The character of Sam, who is blind and mostly deaf, is the same age as Cally, making him easier to relate to as a young reader. Cally’s friendship with Sam allows the author to describe the ways that Mrs. Cooper gives Sam as much freedom as possible and explains the different health implications in a way that maintains Sam’s autonomy.

In both instances, the author writes empathetic characters that are tied to social issues and has them befriend the young protagonist. This successfully blends the social issues into the coming-of-age genre and prompts thought and discussion about how young readers can better understand or help people like Jed and Sam in their own communities.