A review by shirleytupperfreeman
Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai

I really liked this middle-grade immigrant novel.Fadi is a 12 year old boy living in Afghanistan in the late 90s/early 2000s. He spent some time in the US when his father was getting his Phd at the University of Wisconsin. His idealistic father moved the family back to Afghanistan with the idea of helping his country flourish. As the Taliban grew stronger, it became clear that Fadi's family needed to leave. During the process of leaving the country, Fadi's 6 year old sister got left behind. Most of the story then describes fairly common immigrant experiences - father with a Phd has to drive a taxi to earn a living, bullies at school (especially after 9/11) make life challenging, good teachers and friends make life tolerable. The story's tension is built around the loss, and eventual recovery, of 6 year old Mariam. This would be a great book for classroom discussions and for anyone in the 8-14 year old cohort.