A review by heatherbermingham
Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

5.0

Again, I'm struck by middle grade authors' ability to address big issues - in this case, Syria, the refugee experience, and Islamophobia - in ways that are true but also really age-appropriate. Jude and her mother leave her father and brother behind in Syria and move to America to live with her uncle and his family. I've never been in that situation, obviously, but Jude's voice seems very authentic, and I love that there are a variety of reactions to her at school and in the neighborhood. That also seems very true. I particularly like the way the book handles her cousin, Sarah. Sarah isn't very welcoming at first and it would have been easy for her to be a straight up bad guy, but the author (and Jude) treat her with a lot of grace, acknowledging that she also feels a bit torn between cultures and and a bit disconnected from her Syrian father's background. Just a really lovely book.