sousouaya's review against another edition
5.0
I don't have many words to describe this now. I got teary eyed at a couple of chapters, especially the one where Jude puts on her hijab, it was so beautiful. I related to both Jude and Layla so so much. The ending surprised me, I was honestly expecting more chapters
ilovethatbook42's review against another edition
5.0
Randomly picked this up at a book convention and so so glad I did. Can’t wait for my kids to be old enough to read this ❤️
mommingandreading's review against another edition
5.0
A beautiful & hopeful story! I was so afraid there would be heartbreak, and maybe it was a bit too positive -- but it is written for middle graders. Lovely verse that I'll be recommending over & over to my students.
rebeccahk's review against another edition
4.0
A beautiful story about finding home in a strange land. A short book, but says so much. Strangely, so much of this book reminds me of the current events surrounding me. It makes the story so much more relatable.
sara_c_reads's review against another edition
5.0
a must read!
Step in the footsteps of a young girl as she flees her home country of Syria to the safety of America. Jude & her mama comes to stay with family and learns America isn’t what she imagined it to be and yet, it’s more. Her words wrap around you as you imagine this middle schooler discovering who she is in this new-to-her world.
Step in the footsteps of a young girl as she flees her home country of Syria to the safety of America. Jude & her mama comes to stay with family and learns America isn’t what she imagined it to be and yet, it’s more. Her words wrap around you as you imagine this middle schooler discovering who she is in this new-to-her world.
katrina_ingram's review against another edition
3.0
Lovely and powerful story about a Syrian refugee in America. It showed how she struggled to feel like she fit in, how she struggled with her own feelings of where home is as she missed her family in Syria but wanted to feel more settled. It was heartbreaking to see her deal with prejudice and eye opening learning how she found this new place and new people
bethebookworm's review against another edition
5.0
This was fantastic "middle grade" fiction. The audiobook was beautifully read by Vaneh Assadourian. I look forward to re-listening with my kids when they are a little older (8-10ish and up seems appropriate). I loved the main character's relationship with her mother in particular.
annatwentyseven's review against another edition
5.0
First book read on my e-reader. LOVED this, educational from a childs perspective. Beautifully written and although at times hard, easy to read.
choward's review against another edition
5.0
A very heartwarming story about a girl who had to leave Syria with her mother to move to the US because of political tension in her country. It's written well and the characters come to life and seem quite real. It's also from a middle schooler's perspective and the simplicity and things that are focused on reflect that. This book would be a very good way to introduce seeing things from another's perspective and understanding how refugees might feel to children. You definitely see character growth from all sides.
katiecatbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Middle Grade. Syria. Family.
Story: Jude is a young girl living in an oceanside tourist town in Syria. She just wants her family to stay together and be happy, even as her father works at his store and her brother is away more and more with his revolutionary friends. But when Jude and her mother leave for safety to her uncle's house in America, they leave everything she knows behind and Jude is forced to adjust to a new life and grow up with new challenges before her.
Characters: Jude lives with her mother and father and older brother Issa and has a best friend named Fatima.
Language: A novel in verse, it has a very rhythmic feel and pacing, with each chapter only being a few pages or less and pauses between sentences.
A great book that I savored reading over a few days. While a bit rose colored in many places, it's realistic in the things a young girl would go through in a new school, in a new country and with a new family. Wish there were more books like this.
Story: Jude is a young girl living in an oceanside tourist town in Syria. She just wants her family to stay together and be happy, even as her father works at his store and her brother is away more and more with his revolutionary friends. But when Jude and her mother leave for safety to her uncle's house in America, they leave everything she knows behind and Jude is forced to adjust to a new life and grow up with new challenges before her.
Characters: Jude lives with her mother and father and older brother Issa and has a best friend named Fatima.
Language: A novel in verse, it has a very rhythmic feel and pacing, with each chapter only being a few pages or less and pauses between sentences.
A great book that I savored reading over a few days. While a bit rose colored in many places, it's realistic in the things a young girl would go through in a new school, in a new country and with a new family. Wish there were more books like this.