In this true story, Tani Adewumi lives in Nigeria with his family. But one day, terrorists threaten his father so the family escapes to the U.S. where they live in a homeless shelter. Tani doesn’t love his new home but when he discovers chess, it helps everything. He dedicates himself to the game and goes on to win the New York State Chess Championships.

I absolutely loved this little book with its beautiful illustrations (you know I love my graphics)! The book portrays the struggle of adjusting to new surroundings especially as a refugee, fleeing from your home country and attempting to have a semblance of normalcy. It also shows how passion and determination can bring winning results, and it's especially endearing to see these qualities exhibited in a little boy. I'm super proud of Tani and happy to share his story! The book is a must-have for all kids, and adults would enjoy it too.

Thank you for the advanced reader's copy! We live in an area of the country that is predominately middle class and white. We have been working hard to teach our kids about other ways of life. This book was beautiful and our kids loved it. It opened up some great discussion.

Tani's New Home is the author's story of leaving Nigeria and coming to America because of religious persecution. While the story is heavy at times, it ends with hope. I think the length of the text and the heaviness of the topic makes this book a bit too much for the youngest grades, but it would be a good selection for older elementary.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I wasn't enamoured with this tale. I appreciate that it's a children's book and that it covers a sensitive topic but I feel like the word count vs content aimed at different age audiences. Whilst the word count is suited to older primary school children, the lack of detail seem to aim at a far younger audience.

The story breezed over how Tani came to be a refugee, and instead focussed on chess; far more trivial a subject in the grand scheme of things.

I would have liked to have focussed more on the journey to America, the adjustment of making new friends and prejudices faced. Instead, it suggests that a young boy came to town, got handouts, went on to be really great at chess. I think there's a sense of telling the reader that a dream and hard work makes anything possible but the delivery of this message is weak.

The illustrations are what kept me going.

Tani and his family fled their country to come to America for a better life. In America things were different than when they were back home. It is through chess and practicing really hard to master the game that his life changes for the better. This is a story of perseverance and how it will lead one to victory. Based on a true story.

Amazing! Heartwarming! A Triumph! Give this book all the positive descriptives. I love this book.

Once a Nigerian refugee running from Boko Haram, Tami rises from fear and anxiety to become an eight-year-old chess champion.

Highly accessible to those in love with the game and to those preferring video games, this story will give you a warm spot in your heart for the young dealing with unimaginable difficulties.

5/5

I received an electronic copy from Thomas Nelson: CHILDREN'S through NetGalley.
Adewumi captures the experiences for his family as they flee the violence in their homeland and journey to the United States. The story focuses on Tani and is told from his viewpoint. It is based on Tanitoluwa Adewumi's life. Readers see the events through his eyes and see the gamut of emotions involved. Against many odds, he becomes a chess champion in New York City as an eight year old. Informative text is included at the end of the book. The illustrations are colorful and clearly show the action and emotions as the story unfolds. The emphasis on hope without glossing over the realities works well.

This is an important story - a story of a refugee family. The illustrations are good. The narrative is minimal. It was good to see Tani go from being a frightened refugee living in a homeless shelter to state chess champion. I would have liked to have heard more about this whole family's adjustment to living in American.

It didn't take me long to want to be friends with Tani. Tani, or Tanitoluwa Adewumi is the author and central character of this children's book with big themes. The story begins with a warm scene of a family gathering and feast of Nigerian food but quickly moves to Tani's family being threatened and chased by a terrorist group. Later in the author's note at the end, we learn that Tani's family was targeted because they are Christians. Soon the Adewumi family flees to America and New York City where we see Tani and his family begin a new life full of challenges and successes. One of the great successes is what happens after Tani learns chess "the right way." I turned pages quickly so I could see how this story ended, which is not normal for a children's picture book. This story will open the horizons of most children who have never been exposed to fear and have no knowledge that other children in the world face real danger as a normal part of their lives. Even as Tani's New Home gently but honestly depicts darkness, it ends with hope and is full of heart on every page.

Tani's story is one of sadness, hope, rebuilding, perseverance, kindness, humility, and loveliness. We absolutely loved this book, in the sense that it gave me an opportunity to show my toddler a peek into the life of another young child. She did not know, until we were completed with reading, that the story was that of a real child and she was so interested in the differences between our two families. I love that this book tells a story that adults and children alike can learn from and appreciate. We are grateful to Tani for showing us his life and introducing us to new language and culture to share with our family.

Tani’s New Home is a beautiful children’s book. I enjoyed reading it to my nieces and nephew. It makes me so happy to share books of characters of color with my family and followers. I wish I would have read books with people of color when I was a child. I believe it would have helped my self-esteem and I would have felt comfortable in my own skin. It is a beautiful thing to see so many books and authors of color in this progressive age. I hope many get their hands on this book.

Such an uplifting story! I love how the font and color changed to highlight the difference of sounds which express the intensity of the moment. Tani's story was such a delight and a inspiration to read!

**Thank you to NetGalley, author Tanitoluwa Adewumi, and Thomas Nelson: CHILDREN'S for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.**

This nonfiction memoir story of a family fleeing a terrorist group in Nigeria was both emotional and inspiring.

Tani and his family were forced to seek refuge in the United States from Nigeria because of threats from the terrorist group Boko Haram. Tani shares his story of arriving in the U.S. and living in a shelter for the first year. To pass the time, Tani's brother Austin introduced him to the game of chess.

Chess was an escape for Tani to focus his attention, and through this, he was able to help his family find hope and a new life.

There is a wide-spread representation of characters in this story, as well!

The illustrations to pair with this story were beautiful. They really helped to bring the story and emotions to life.

This is truly a beautiful story of trauma, resilience, and success. Tanitoluwa Adewumi crafted a story of inspiration.

This was an adorable little story of Tanitoluwa Adewumi! He was a refugee from Nigeria who finds a love of chess in his new American school. I loved this inspiring story! It was amazing to see Tani come from being homeless to being the best chess player in the state. I loved how it showed that if you try your hardest, you can make your dreams come true!

Tani's New Home
A Refugee Finds Hope and Kindness in America
by Tanitoluwa Adewumi
Thomas Nelson: CHILDREN'S
Thomas Nelson
Children's Nonfiction | Christian
Pub Date 24 Nov 2020



Tani was only six when he and his family became refugees in New York City, fleeing persecution in Nigeria. He was overwhelmed by all the new things in America. But there was one new experience turned out to be the most wonderful discovery, chess! Tani studies, and practices chess for hours with joy and determination. He practices on the floor of his room at the Homeless Shelter, less than a year later he won the New York State Chess Championship, and through one act of kindness after another, found a new home.




Tani’s New Home is a picture biography best geared toward those five to ten years old. It is the real life story of a Chess Champion. This book celebrates the power of hope and hard work reminding it’s readers that we can all make the world a more welcoming and encouraging place through empathy and compassion.



Tani’s New Home is beautifully written and includes beautiful digital illustrations by Courtney Dawsonis perfect for children reading alone; story time for families, classrooms, and libraries; and celebrations of World Refugee Day.





This powerful book about chess, family, and community reminds us all that home is a place where you can follow your dreams.



I give Tani’s New Home five out of five stars!




Happy Reading!

Tani’s New Home tells a tale of survival and adjusting to a new culture in kid-friendly language. After fleeing his home in Nigeria following the threats from a terrorist group, Tani finds community in his school’s chess club and finds great success!

Tani is a boy who moves from Nigeria to New York because of harassment from Boko Haram. The book deals with his experience of a new country that’s very different from his place of origin. It also explains in a child friendly way who Boko Haram are. I feel that the insight into the story of a refugee is very valuable. The other overwhelming thing that I take from this book is the sense of gratitude emanating from Tani and his family. They are generous to others to a fault and exemplary people. Children will get a kick out of seeing that Tani is a real person and that will hopefully encourage them to think about others who may have faced similar situations leading to emigration.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.


This book is a painful experience of a family in Nigeria who had to migrate to America after witnessing the same .

The protagonist's love for chess begins with this experience.

This book also teaches us about compassion, love and empathy for others

"E kaaro. Good morning."

I love how this story introduces us to new culture and new language. A glimpse of how refugees find home and the family dynamics shown so well in this beautiful presentation of vibrant sequence of illustrations.

I find the writing quite beautiful and fun. The story is sad telling how refugees struggle in a foreign land when there's pressure to take sides.

I would say this storybook is a little heavy for kids with some pages in between which will need an adult's help for some explanation.

Otherwise the story ended well with lots of love and positivity. I miss chess!

A genuine storybook. Good to have.

Thank you, author and publisher for the book.