Unclaimed Baggage

Written by Jen Doll

Narrated by Lori Gardner, Nick Mills and Sandy Rustin

The truth will set you free. But first you have to find it.

What do Nell, who just moved to a small town in Alabama from the Chicago suburbs; Doris, a liberal among conservative thinkers; and Grant, a football star who’s plummeted from grace, all have in common? A summer job working at Unclaimed Baggage, a store where lost luggage goes to find a home.

In this fish-out-of-water novel by noted journalist Jen Doll, three teens realize that people aren’t always what they seem, secrets hide in plain sight, and everybody has a little extra baggage weighing them down. But true friendship—and love—will help you find your place.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9781705051665

Reviews for Unclaimed Baggage

[smokler_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great story about losing and finding about three friends (teenagers) who work at a store for lost luggage in Alabama. Sweat, honest, a little awkward, like being young. Like life.

I couldn't put this book down. Now I am dying for a sequel, a movie about, a tv series. Anything. Just give me more of these characters and this world.

[brangwinn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In Doll’s debut YA novel, there’s a lot of baggage packed into the story, and I don’t mean just that of unclaimed luggage It’s the story of three teenagers in Alabama who work together unpacking unclaimed suitcases and selling the merchandise in a store. The teens seem so mature. I am sure I wasn’t that mature when I was that age. Evangelical bigots, interracial hatred, alcoholism and divorce are all problems packed into this well-written and believable story.

[starlielc · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I got an early copy of this book through a Twitter trade.What first drew me to the book was the unique, but somewhat similar plot: 3 different teens (each with different and slight dramas in their own lives) meet at a job at a store for Unclaimed Baggage (hence the name of the store and the book). Nell's the new girl in town from Chicago with a black boyfriend back home; Doris is the non-church goer that some of the town views as the social outcast; and Grant is the alcoholic football player who recently broke up with his girlfriend.Each character, even the supporting characters, were unique and interesting. Just like the 3 teens, I despised Mrs. Stokes (won't reveal why). I did love how it wasn't just one character telling their point of view for the entire book, but all of them. We got to see things from Grant's, Nell's, and Doris's views.My favorite of the teens would have to be Nell. She was new to town, just like the reader, and I enjoyed seeing the town and other events from her view.Also, I enjoyed the pace of the story. It didn't feel too short or too long. The ending nicely wrapped up the summer.There's not a lot of romance in the book (I read a lot of YA contemporary romance type books), but it was a good story about new and building friendships. A good one for teens to read.

[ethel55_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was intrigued by the premise of this book, so much so that when it had to go back to the library unread, I got back on the list again. Suitcases who are forever lost from their owners find their way to a thrift style store called Unclaimed Baggage. Doris is about to begin her second summer there, sorting thru the various bags. She is soon joined by Grant, the local football star with a lot of secrets and Nell, a newcomer to town from the North. Knowing each other helps them learn more about themselves and the summer goes quickly with the three facing a lot of real life, including teen drinking, racism and loss.

[foggidawn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

At first, teens Doris, Nell, and Grant seem to have nothing in common beyond their summer job at a thrift store that sells the contents of suitcases left at airports. As they get to know one another, a deep friendship develops, and they find that they can help each other through the difficulties they are currently facing.This is a nice, feel-good story. There’s some romance, but the book is much more about friendship and dealing with one’s past. I found the writing a little pedantic in places, exhibiting a tendency toward unnecessary explanations (see what I did there?). And the chapters were written from the point of view of the three main characters, but I didn’t find their voices very distinctive; several times I had to look back and see who was talking now. (Also, I could have done without the chapters from the perspective of the suitcase — I found that a little too precious.) But despite some quibbles, I found it an enjoyable read, over all. I’d recommend it for younger teens.

[grumpydan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Three teenagers become friends while working at a store called Unclaimed Baggage (it is what the name implies, they sell items from lost and unclaimed luggage from the airlines). Each have their own problems and emotional baggage that they have to deal with and work through as the summer progresses. It is told from the perspective of the three teenagers and yes, one piece of luggage. I found the characters lovable, charming and entertaining. The story moves right along as it deals with racism, divorce, loss, alcoholism, and so much more. A very enjoyable read.

[kamoorephoto · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Unclaimed Baggage - Jen DollIt’s probably humanly impossible to not like a book with fluffy clouds and a little squirrel holding nuts on the cover. So far, I believe this to be 100% true. ‘Unclaimed Baggage’, while having nothing to do with now-endangered and very cute red squirrels, is just as adorable a book on the inside as it is on the outside, and if it’s that cover that draws you in (like it did me), so be it). It’s the goods inside though that will make you stay a while. The title of the book is the name of the store that brings three new and unlikely friends together in small town Alabama. Doris has been working at Unclaimed Baggage for a while, and takes great pride in her work, unpacking suitcases that have lost their owners somewhere along the way on their journeys around the world, left at airports, unclaimed, unnamed. The contents of the bags are then sold in this unique store, which gets customers from all over the place, and even has an Instagram feed. Nell is the newcomer, who has been made to move from the Chicago suburbs to this tiny Southern town, away from her boyfriend and BFFs, and at the start of the summer too. Forced to get a summer job by her rocket scientist mom, she fortunately meets Doris at the store.And to round out the unlikely trio, we have Grant Collins, the hometown (but recently disgraced) football star, struggling with a drinking problem, having recently lost his girlfriend, as well as his way. His mom calls in a favor and gets him a job at the store, which is probably the best thing to ever happen.Over the course of their summer (but barely a couple of my days) this trio is taken through a bonding experience like no other, and not only do they have infinitely a more exciting summer than I had, these unlikeliest of friends learn some big eye-opening things about the world. Author Jen Doll is a smart writer, and beneath all the adorable quirkiness, she presents a whole host of issues that teens (and a lot of us, in fact), have dealt and might deal with: sexual assault, alcohol abuse (particularly how it’s accepted in certain groups in high school), grief and loss, racism, a particular brand of which is still especially pervasive in the South, as well as an expectation for everyone to subscribe to the same Christian dogma. Doll also gives us these wonderful teen characters that challenge these issues in a way that I found, for a change, to be brave instead of obnoxious, to be thoughtful instead of preoccupied, and actually give us cause to be sympathetic to their faults (especially dear Grant). One key element of this novel, underneath all that quirkiness which I just loved, is relationships, and since this is a contemporary YA novel, it’s worth noting that it isn’t filled with text conversations, and there are also positive family relationships in this book, with the parents actually feeling like real people. I’m finding this is becoming a rarity in my reading lately (is it really so bad to put that out there?). Additionally, the close relationship Doris had with her aunt Stella, who’s passed away, plays a big part in the book; the exploration of Doris’ grief and the influence she had on her, adds depth to this story and her character. All of this though, is served up with heaps and heaps of Southern fried syrupy goodness and charm, or at least, a furry manatee, and suitcases with their own names. The ‘scenes’ at the store were so wonderful, I wanted more, with all these amazing artifacts and personal belongings from people all over the world ending up on their shelves with the teens wondering their backstories.I also didn’t even mind the fact that Jen Doll uses the alternating ‘voices’ of Doris, Nell, and Grant, to tell the story, which is a writing device I was becoming tired of lately but in the case of ‘Unclaimed Baggage’, I found it worked well. The book is also divided up into the three months of the summer vacation, to give you a sense of time flow. However ‘slow’ their (or anyone’s) summer went, I raced through this book. It is funny, quirky, thoughtful, and full of so much heart that I can’t help but love it to pieces.