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evidentlybookish's review
4.0
actual rating: 3.5 rounded up to 4
This book is a short and sweet but equally moving look at the trials faced by a family of Syrian refugees when they move to the United States. I feel like the first thing I need to say about this book is that despite some of its tough subject matter, it was so much more wholesome than I had expected – there was even a moment or two that drew some moisture to my eyes. What I hadn’t expected and what I’m endlessly grateful for is the incredibly accurate mental health representation.
Both main characters suffer from anxiety to different degrees throughout the novel and as an anxiety sufferer myself, it’s rare that I can read anxiety representation in a book and come away feeling so understood. Not only that but the authors did an excellent job casting anxiety in a positive way – both characters receive help from professionals and unfettered support from their family, friends and community. This is a theme throughout the book, there is so much support and positivity seeped into these pages. While the book indeed discusses hate and incorporates real life terrorist events into it’s narrative, it never truly feels sombre or hopeless.
You can find the rest of my review on my blog here
This book is a short and sweet but equally moving look at the trials faced by a family of Syrian refugees when they move to the United States. I feel like the first thing I need to say about this book is that despite some of its tough subject matter, it was so much more wholesome than I had expected – there was even a moment or two that drew some moisture to my eyes. What I hadn’t expected and what I’m endlessly grateful for is the incredibly accurate mental health representation.
Both main characters suffer from anxiety to different degrees throughout the novel and as an anxiety sufferer myself, it’s rare that I can read anxiety representation in a book and come away feeling so understood. Not only that but the authors did an excellent job casting anxiety in a positive way – both characters receive help from professionals and unfettered support from their family, friends and community. This is a theme throughout the book, there is so much support and positivity seeped into these pages. While the book indeed discusses hate and incorporates real life terrorist events into it’s narrative, it never truly feels sombre or hopeless.
You can find the rest of my review on my blog here
pruthapimpalgaonkar's review against another edition
5.0
Read this review with many others on my blog
This is a masterpiece and a very, very important book that I urge you all to read.
This book is definitely one of the top ten books I read this year and it convinced me that Middle Grade is in fact, disguised philosophy. Don’t agree with me? Maybe the quotes I share might convince you.
Flying Over Water is a middle-grade novel that follows two main characters: Noura, a Syrian immigrant who travels to America along with her family for a second chance after the Syrian civil war, and Jordyn, an American girl who hasn’t swum ever since her mother had a miscarriage during one of her meets.
Jordyn’s mother offers to help Noura’s family to settle in America and Jordyn is tasked to help Noura and her brother Ammar around the new community. Even tho both Jordyn and Noura are very different, their friendship gets stronger day by day.
Noura and her family face a lot of Islamophobia and prejudice in America, where they thought they finally might have a happy life after having to go through many tough times.
"I thought alien was a weird word. It reminded me of little green men from Mars, rather than refugees fleeing for their lives."
This book was amazing. It had a lot of diversity, lots of heartwarming moments and it was especially interesting reading the story in two completely different POVs, written by two different authors.
I learnt so much about the lives of refugees and immigrants, how difficult they are and the prejudice they face and how traumatizing hate and war can be.
Even tho this was a Middle-Grade novel, it deals with very important topics like mental health, war, racism etc.
Now to some of my favourite and extremely philosophical quotes from Flying Over Water!
-"Sometimes being a human is the hardest thing of all"
-"It’s better not to think too much about the past, but to be grateful we have a second chance"
-"When you divide the unity and strength of people, you can destroy them because they are too busy fighting one another."
-"It bothered me that a group of people had to march on the street to demand that their very lives mattered."
-"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice."
Moreover, I found another book which I won’t stop screaming about until y’all read it :)
Representation: Syrian Muslim MC with PTSD, MC with Anxiety, side Cuban character, side Indian character, many side characters of colour.
Trigger Warnings: Depictions of war, loss of loved ones due to war, Islamophobia, racism, prejudice, miscarriage.
I received an ARC in exchange for a spot on the Flying Over Water Tour. This did not impact my review in any way. The quotes used are subject to change in the final printing
This is a masterpiece and a very, very important book that I urge you all to read.
This book is definitely one of the top ten books I read this year and it convinced me that Middle Grade is in fact, disguised philosophy. Don’t agree with me? Maybe the quotes I share might convince you.
Flying Over Water is a middle-grade novel that follows two main characters: Noura, a Syrian immigrant who travels to America along with her family for a second chance after the Syrian civil war, and Jordyn, an American girl who hasn’t swum ever since her mother had a miscarriage during one of her meets.
Jordyn’s mother offers to help Noura’s family to settle in America and Jordyn is tasked to help Noura and her brother Ammar around the new community. Even tho both Jordyn and Noura are very different, their friendship gets stronger day by day.
Noura and her family face a lot of Islamophobia and prejudice in America, where they thought they finally might have a happy life after having to go through many tough times.
"I thought alien was a weird word. It reminded me of little green men from Mars, rather than refugees fleeing for their lives."
This book was amazing. It had a lot of diversity, lots of heartwarming moments and it was especially interesting reading the story in two completely different POVs, written by two different authors.
I learnt so much about the lives of refugees and immigrants, how difficult they are and the prejudice they face and how traumatizing hate and war can be.
Even tho this was a Middle-Grade novel, it deals with very important topics like mental health, war, racism etc.
Now to some of my favourite and extremely philosophical quotes from Flying Over Water!
-"Sometimes being a human is the hardest thing of all"
-"It’s better not to think too much about the past, but to be grateful we have a second chance"
-"When you divide the unity and strength of people, you can destroy them because they are too busy fighting one another."
-"It bothered me that a group of people had to march on the street to demand that their very lives mattered."
-"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice."
Moreover, I found another book which I won’t stop screaming about until y’all read it :)
Representation: Syrian Muslim MC with PTSD, MC with Anxiety, side Cuban character, side Indian character, many side characters of colour.
Trigger Warnings: Depictions of war, loss of loved ones due to war, Islamophobia, racism, prejudice, miscarriage.
I received an ARC in exchange for a spot on the Flying Over Water Tour. This did not impact my review in any way. The quotes used are subject to change in the final printing
kindredbooks's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I received a copy of this book from Scholastic Canada in exchange for an honest review.
Flying Over Water tells the story in alternative perspectives from a white American girl and a Muslim girl who has just arrived in the US as a refugee from Syria. The story takes places at the start of the Muslim ban in 2017. The two girls both have their own painful experiences that traumas and together, they are able to lend each other strength and encouragement through friendship.
This middle grade novel is a story of the power of friendship and love in the face of hate. I was particularly drawn to the story because it is written by two authors - a collaboration that reflects in the friendship between Noura and Jordyn in the story. There is a genuine quality to the writing because of this collaboration. The story does not shy away from the tragedy of loss, war, and hate - but it also does its best to show us that there are more good than bad in the world. And when communities come together - when people of all backgrounds and faith come together, there is so much beauty and hope to be found. Such an uplifting and wonderful middle grade novel that is still so relevant to the current climate of the world today. Thank you to Scholastic Canada for sending me this gifted copy.
Flying Over Water tells the story in alternative perspectives from a white American girl and a Muslim girl who has just arrived in the US as a refugee from Syria. The story takes places at the start of the Muslim ban in 2017. The two girls both have their own painful experiences that traumas and together, they are able to lend each other strength and encouragement through friendship.
This middle grade novel is a story of the power of friendship and love in the face of hate. I was particularly drawn to the story because it is written by two authors - a collaboration that reflects in the friendship between Noura and Jordyn in the story. There is a genuine quality to the writing because of this collaboration. The story does not shy away from the tragedy of loss, war, and hate - but it also does its best to show us that there are more good than bad in the world. And when communities come together - when people of all backgrounds and faith come together, there is so much beauty and hope to be found. Such an uplifting and wonderful middle grade novel that is still so relevant to the current climate of the world today. Thank you to Scholastic Canada for sending me this gifted copy.