Looking for X
| Author | Deborah Ellis |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's Literature Young-Adult Fiction |
| Publisher | Groundwood Books |
|
Publication date
|
September 1, 1999 |
| Pages | 132 pp |
| ISBN |
Looking for X is a children's novel written for ages 9–12 by Deborah Ellis. This novel is about an eleven-year-old girl named Khyber that lives in a poorer area, Regent Park, in Toronto, Ontario. She lives there with her mother and her twin brothers who are both autistic. One day Khyber shows up at school and is accused of breaking the windows of her teacher's classroom. When she is expelled she sets off in the middle of the night to find her friend X, a homeless woman who lives in the park across the street from her house. She is the only one that can clear Khyber's name. She spends all night wandering the streets in search of X and has the adventure of a lifetime.
The protagonist, Khyber, introduces her family. Her real name is not Khyber but she hates her “unspeakable name” so renamed herself after the Khyber Pass in Afghanistan. She lives with her mother Tammy, who is a former stripper and her twin brothers, David and Daniel who are five have autism. Khyber and her family live in Regent Park in Toronto, Ontario. She talks about how the people there are not that well off.
Khyber comes home from school to see a social worker is at their house. Khyber does not like her. Khyber talks about how the social worker treats Tammy like she is a bad mom but Tammy tells her that’s not true and it was just because they were on welfare that the social worker had to ask so many questions. Khyber goes to Allan Gardens to visit X
When Khyber gets to the park she finds X. X is an older, homeless woman whom Khyber goes to visit as often as she can with a peanut butter and corn syrup sandwich. She goes and tells X about her day. She likes this because X just sits, eats her sandwich, and listens, X doesn't speak much herself. X moves around a lot because she is afraid that the "secret police" are after her.
Khyber talks about their apartment, which is small and minimal. Tammy has to spend most of the money they get on treatment and medication for the boys so their family does not have a TV or other types of luxury items. They don’t have any furniture in their house, just a couple mattresses and lots of pillows because it is safer for the boys. When they throw tantrums they bang their heads around and it’s better for them to hit something soft rather than hard furniture. The apartment has two bedrooms. David and Daniel have the biggest and Tammy sleeps in the second bedroom. Khyber sleeps in the alcove where she has a bed that is covered with a curtain
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