The story is told by three youngsters in alternating chapter. Josef is a Jewish boy living in 1930s Nazi Germany. With the threat of concentration camps looming, he and his family board a ship bound for Cuba only to be turned away once they arrive. Isabel is a Cuban girl in 1994. With riots and unrest plaguing her country, she and her family set out on a raft, hoping to find safety in America. Mahmoud is a Syrian boy in 2015. With his homeland torn apart by violence and destruction, he and his family begin a long trek toward Europe. All three kids go on harrowing journeys in search of refuge. All will face unimaginable dangers -- from drownings to bombings to betrayals. But there is always the hope of tomorrow. Although Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud are separated by continents and decades, shocking connections will tie their stories together in the end.
This is the first novel I have read by Alan Gratz, but it will not be the last. You might be interested in these other books by Alan Gratz which are part the TA Library collection.
- The Brooklyn Nine
- Code of Honor
- Grenade (Coming soon)
- Prisoner B-3087
- Projekt 1065
Awards:
- 2018 YALSA Quick Pick for Young Readers
- YALSA 2018 Best Fiction for Young Adults
- Global Read Aloud Book 2018
- Junior Library Guild Selection
- Over a Thousand Hill I Walk With You – Hanna Jansen
- A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea: One Refugee's Incredible Story of Love, Loss, and Survival - Melissa Fleming (956.9104/Fle)
- A Far Away Island - Annika Thor
- Red Midnight - Ben Mikaelsen