What It Is About: When life becomes unbearable for Ghalib and his family, they decide to leave Syria. After much consideration, the family begins to make their way toward Europe. While on foot, they must cross, and/or attempt to cross, borders that are being guarded by military. The family encounters various refugee camps. Some of them they find safe to stay at while others they realize will only cause them more danger. At one point, Ghalib's family becomes separated and do everything they can to reunite their family. There are moments when Ghalib doesn't think they will make it to safely. When he learns they must cross an ocean; he isn't sure they will ever get to their destination and the hope for a new life.
What I Thought Of It: The story was good, but since I was just coming off Refugee by Gratz; I found myself comparing that story to this one. There was wonderful information in this story, but I wasn't emotional tied to the characters and/or events. The author did a wonderful job of providing accurate and true information about the life of a family on the "run". I did think some parts of the story moved a bit too slowly for my taste, but overall thought it was a satisfying read.
Who Should Read It: Because of the content, writing, and length of the book, I would say sixth grade readers and above would be best suited for this book. I'm not sure fourth/fifth grade readers would be able to grasp the story and/or enjoy it. The book would be great for a class read aloud in grades five, six, and middle-school because it would lead to such rich discussions. Happy Reading!
Rating: 3 STARS out of 5 Stars
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