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yapha's review
4.0
Another powerful look at immigration, told in two voices. Noura Alwan and her family are refugees from Syria. Jordyn and her family are helping to get the Alwans settled in Tampa, Florida. Set against the backdrop of Trump's Muslim ban in 2017, this is a moving story of resilience, friendship, and the power of words. Highly recommended for grades 4 & up.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss
jenennap29's review
5.0
So much heart, soul, and truth to this story from all angles and all characters.
jennybeastie's review
5.0
Really well done -- alternating point of view between Noura, newly arrived refugee from Syria, and Jordyn, Tampa, FL swimmer. Noura suffers panic attacks associated with water. Jordyn has worsening anxiety after her mother's miscarriage. There are a lot of big current issues in this book -- racism and religious based attacks against Muslims, grief and loss (friend, miscarriage, young soldier, mother with breast cancer), injury and extreme change of circumstances. It's also packed with people of all faiths helping each other, supporting each other's mental health, and finding ways to volubly stand up for their rights. It's also a quickly moving plot that centers on friendship. Good stuff all around.
cjeziorski's review
4.0
This is a great middle grade story told from two perspectives. Noura, a Syrian refugee, has just arrived in Tampa. Jordyn is her student ambassador and a competitive swimmer. The story alternates between the two narratives, and interweaves current events into the story. Also included are themes of mental health. Good read for a unit on migration.
readingatlast's review
5.0
"thank you to the publishers for sending me a copy for review via edelweiss"
Full review to come!
But Flying Over Water is a must read!
Full review to come!
But Flying Over Water is a must read!
lapetite's review against another edition
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I don’t know what to say about this book. While I loved the representation, this book read like someone grabbed headlines from 2017 and haphazardly threw in some characters with some story beats.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Islamophobia and Religious bigotry
londibie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
rattletheshelves's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
A beautiful middle-grade about overcoming so many difficulties, finding friendship and belonging
fafabookcorner's review
3.0
Review posted on Fafa's Book Corner!
Disclaimer: I received this E-ARC via Edelweiss+ and Qamar Blog Tours, as a part of the #FlyingOverWaterTour.
Trigger Warning(s): Islamophobia, mention of miscarriage, bullying, harassment, property vandalism, anxiety attacks, depression, and mention of war.
Rep: Noura and her family are Syrian Muslims. Noura has anxiety. Jordyn is a white Christian and has anxiety. Jordyn’s mother show signs of depression. Lea is Cuban. Joel is a white Jew. Amani is a Muslim.
My Thoughts Before Reading: I was so happy when I received the tour confirmation email! I am always happy to read about books written by Muslim authors with Muslim characters.
I am happy to say that I enjoyed it!
What I Liked: I adored the rep! It was nice to read about all these characters from different backgrounds.
I really appreciated the adults! They were supportive and came through for the main characters. It’s always nice to read about adults that are important to the overall story.
I loved the friendship between Jordyn, Noura, and Ammar’s friendship! In the beginning Jordyn was mostly nice to Noura and Ammar on account off being their ambassador.
After that Noura and Jordyn started to bound when they were assigned a history project and their mothers started getting along. The girls also just start to connect with one-another. Relating to their own fears and working through them together.
Jordyn makes sure to insure that Ammar and Noura are comfortable at school. Going as far as standing up for the two of them. While that in-itself is the bare minimum, it is really hard to stand-up to Islamophobia.
I also really appreciated their history teacher and the students. They were a very well informed and diverse group. I especially liked Penny, Joel, and Lea.
Noura and Ammar’s relationship with one-another was so sweet! I loved that they supported each other and challenged the other to conquer their fears.
Noura’s family have fallen on some hard times. On top of the Islamophobia, adjusting to life in America hasn’t been easy. Luckily they have a community in the Mosque, Noura’s teacher and classmates, Jordyn and her family, and most importantly each other.
Jordyn’s relationship with her parents is a bit strained. Her father spends most of the time working, and her mother never leaves the house. Jordyn herself can’t bring herself to swim.
Making friends with the Alwan family helps that. Jordyn’s mother gets excited teaching Noura’s mother English. In return Noura’s mother teaches Jordyn’s mom how to cook some Syrian food.
I loved the Islam rep! It was positive and portrayed in a sensitive light, considering when the novel takes place. I liked how Noura was able to build a supportive community in her school, and even arranged for a Prayer room for everybody.
My Criticism(s): Absolutely nothing!
Conclusion: Overall I enjoyed Flying Over Water! I highly recommend if you are looking for novels with Muslim rep.
Disclaimer: I received this E-ARC via Edelweiss+ and Qamar Blog Tours, as a part of the #FlyingOverWaterTour.
Trigger Warning(s): Islamophobia, mention of miscarriage, bullying, harassment, property vandalism, anxiety attacks, depression, and mention of war.
Rep: Noura and her family are Syrian Muslims. Noura has anxiety. Jordyn is a white Christian and has anxiety. Jordyn’s mother show signs of depression. Lea is Cuban. Joel is a white Jew. Amani is a Muslim.
My Thoughts Before Reading: I was so happy when I received the tour confirmation email! I am always happy to read about books written by Muslim authors with Muslim characters.
I am happy to say that I enjoyed it!
What I Liked: I adored the rep! It was nice to read about all these characters from different backgrounds.
I really appreciated the adults! They were supportive and came through for the main characters. It’s always nice to read about adults that are important to the overall story.
I loved the friendship between Jordyn, Noura, and Ammar’s friendship! In the beginning Jordyn was mostly nice to Noura and Ammar on account off being their ambassador.
After that Noura and Jordyn started to bound when they were assigned a history project and their mothers started getting along. The girls also just start to connect with one-another. Relating to their own fears and working through them together.
Jordyn makes sure to insure that Ammar and Noura are comfortable at school. Going as far as standing up for the two of them. While that in-itself is the bare minimum, it is really hard to stand-up to Islamophobia.
I also really appreciated their history teacher and the students. They were a very well informed and diverse group. I especially liked Penny, Joel, and Lea.
Noura and Ammar’s relationship with one-another was so sweet! I loved that they supported each other and challenged the other to conquer their fears.
Noura’s family have fallen on some hard times. On top of the Islamophobia, adjusting to life in America hasn’t been easy. Luckily they have a community in the Mosque, Noura’s teacher and classmates, Jordyn and her family, and most importantly each other.
Jordyn’s relationship with her parents is a bit strained. Her father spends most of the time working, and her mother never leaves the house. Jordyn herself can’t bring herself to swim.
Making friends with the Alwan family helps that. Jordyn’s mother gets excited teaching Noura’s mother English. In return Noura’s mother teaches Jordyn’s mom how to cook some Syrian food.
I loved the Islam rep! It was positive and portrayed in a sensitive light, considering when the novel takes place. I liked how Noura was able to build a supportive community in her school, and even arranged for a Prayer room for everybody.
My Criticism(s): Absolutely nothing!
Conclusion: Overall I enjoyed Flying Over Water! I highly recommend if you are looking for novels with Muslim rep.