When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed

When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Victoria Jamieson in collaboration with Somali refugee, Omar Mohamed, hits it out of the park with this graphic novel depicting Omar and his brother, Hassan's life in a refugee camp. The reader feels their boredom, anger, frustration, hope, and community as they live each day in a camp with thousands of others. Omar is a true caregiver to his brother yet he is able to attend school, look for his mother, and work to leave the camp for a better life. All students MUST read this book; highly recommended!

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The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees by Dan Brown

The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees by Don Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this Great Graphic Novel Award Winner and Nonfiction Award Winner as part of the 2019 HUB Reading Challenge. Brown's illustrations and accompanying words/stories of the Syrian Refugees was horror filled with immigrants suffering death, beatings, and racism as they flee because of the reign of terror of the Syrian President, Bashar Al-Assad. Neighboring countries extend aid but it becomes too much for many and they stop allowing the refugees to enter and extend them aid. A must read as this crisis continues to unfold.

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Illegal by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin, Giovanni Rigano (illustrator)

Illegal by Eoin Colfer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Goodreads description reads "a book for all children" & I read it as part of #yearofYA twitter chat topic, middle school books, but this timely graphic novel really calls to be read by EVERYONE. Beginning with a touching, truthful quote from Elie Weisel, this devastating fictional story uses Ebo's harrowing journey detailed with awesome artwork to show what illegal immigration, fleeing to find family in other countries, and the desperation of being a refugee look like in our world today. A compelling social issue that breaks your heart.

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Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In an unnamed country, Nadia meets Saeed in evening school and they strike up a friendship that quickly becomes something more- because of the war and strife being visited upon their country. There was so much to love about these two people but they were hard working trying to exist in a world that is being torn apart. As they traverse their life, apart, and then together, they become very close but do not get engaged or married. They care deeply for each other and as the book proceeds they go through so much together. I loved Mohsin Hamid's writing; his characterization and his plot, and setting were all marvelously strung together, kept me turning the pages, and hoping for an end to their "war" both in the world and trying to find a new life.

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How Dare the Sunrise: Memoirs of a War Child by Sandra Uwiringiyimana

How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this book as part of #yearofya June nonfiction twitter chat. Sandra's voice was penetrating in her description of her wonderful family before, during and after the massacre making her a child of war. She is unflinching in her honesty, her pain, and her hopes. The reader learns about her little known African tribe, that becomes a pariah and one of genocide. Sandra's journey to "rich American dream" is shattered as she and her family stumble trying to assimilate, learn English, and craft a life in the bad neighborhoods. Sandra's different schools she attends allows her to see the racism prevalent in America and with her continued grief over her little sister Deborah allows her to rise up to become an impassioned & eloquent leader & speaker for refugees, those who are different, those who are struggling. A must read!

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The Good Braider by Terry Farish

The Good Braider by Terry Farish
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I re-read this popular paperback as part of the 2017 Hub Challenge & loved it even more that when I read it in 2013!!! Viola's harrowing journey with her family from the war torn country of Sudan to Portland, Maine. Before laving Juba, Viola is raped by a soldier; her self worth and her bride price are stripped. Farish does a superb job painting the fear, anguish and despair of Viola and those in her community in fear for their lives while trying to flee a country gripped in civil war. Once Viola, her mother and little brother escape, Juba, they begin a long perilous journey to Khartoum. Once Viola arrives in Portland, Maine settling into a community of African immigrants, attending school and working a job there is the clash of the new American culture and preserving the Sudanese culture. This novel in verse achieves the beauty of Viola's new American world and harsh reminders of the brutal civil war, Viola's voice is strong, happy, conflicted, scared, and hopeful. I loved the braiding title, which symbolized Viola's African world of beauty and how once in the US, she does not braid anymore and will not have her own hair braided. It is through her friends and family from the Sudan as well as her American friends that Viola finds her place in her new world of Portland, Maine. This is a must read for young adults; they will learn about the genocide the Sudanese suffered through, they will appreciate the customs and community that are so important to Viola. What is even more important for teens is to see the world through Viola's eyes and the positive and negative impact of American culture on immigrant communities. Powerful, this book is beautiful!

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The Journey by Francesca Sanna

The Journey by Francesca Sanna
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this amazing picture book for #yearofya May book chat dealing with immigration/refugees. The author decided to write this book after she met 2 refugee girls and with this impetus she began to gather true stories of migration from many many people the book is a collage of all their stories of hope, strength, determination and possibilities. So glad I OWN this treasure & will be sharing it with all my friends, readers, and family.

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Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai

Shooting Kabul by N. H. Senzai

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I sooo loved this book! A great book for middle/jr high as well as high school for its depiction of a Muslim family fleeing the Taliban in Afghanistan after 9-11. Fadi and his family have tried to stay in their beloved country but the war has driven them from their home. Fadi's father, Habib, has paid the last of their money to flee their homeland. Fadi's family is close-knit, loving, and care deeply for each other. Fadi's mother, Zafoona, is ill and his sister, Noor, is helping her escape and Fadi is responsible for Mariam, his little sister. It is when they are leaping from one truck to another, that the Taliban attacks, and Mariam breaks away to pick up her doll, that Fadi loses his grip on his little sister. Once the family reaches safety in the United States, they try to locate their precious family member, in whatever way they can. Fadi begins school in a country very foreign to him, but he makes friends and also experiences bullying because he is Muslim. What I really enjoyed was how Fadi mentions his favorite book, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and how he relates to Claudia and her escapades in the museum. Fadi loves photography and uses his father's camera which took many a picture in Kabul. It is this love of photography that inspires Fadi to join a school contest in which the winner will win a trip---and Fadi is determined to win that trip and return his lost little sister to their heartbroken family. Fadi has so many things against him but he also has determination and with his new found friend, Anh, they both hope to bring Mariam home---but, will they succeed? This such a great book, great characters, believable plot, and the themes of belonging resonate in each chapter of this wonderful book.





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Children of War: Voices of Iraqi Refugees by Deborah Ellis

Children of War: Voices of Iraqi Refugees by Deborah Ellis

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Deborah Ellis continues to amaze me with her fiction and nonfiction books. With this thin volume of stories, she has delved into the Iraq War and what children, from 8 to 19 years of age, have endured, what they are doing now, and where they are living. Each story is pretty unspeakable, families have been wiped out, children are living in hazardous conditions, they don't understand why this is happening to them. The reader will learn from Ellis in an introduction about Iraq's history, the fall of Saddam and what this has meant to these young children---and it is heartbreaking. Before each story, Ellis will give an look into an aspect of Iraqi life, culture, religion, the long term effects of violence, etc.and then a child will tell their story. I urge students and adults to read Ellis' book---it is important that WE "fully understand the impact our decisions on the world's most vulnerable - our children."



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