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A review by rknuttel
Crossing the Farak River by Michelle Aung Thin
4.0
Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for a review copy of this book - all opinions are my own.
This book is an excellent combination of entertaining and educational. It’s not like it’s intended to be super educational, but that just comes from being centered around a topic I didn’t know too much about! Hasina is a Muslim girl living in Myanmar. She and her family are very happy in their village until tensions start to grown and the Rohingya Muslims become targets, forced by the government to evacuate to Bangladesh. After one terrifying night, Hasina, her cousin Ghadiya, and her little brother Araf are separated from all the adults in their family and have to survive on their own. This in turn sets off a chain of events that will test the kids’ strength and determination. The variety of challenges they face means that this story is fast paced and never gets boring. It also does a great job of covering some very heavy topics in a way that is serious but not overwhelming for kids. I really wanted to read this book because I have never seen or read a book set in Myanmar or that deals with the Rohingya crisis. It’s a great title to add to your library to increase representation for a variety of cultures. The back says intended for grades 6+ but I can easily see this in my 5th grade classroom. It would be great as a read aloud where the teacher can offer support for some of the cultural concepts that might be very foreign to some students. I found myself googling a lot while I read to educate myself, including maps and history of Myanmar and the process of growing and harvesting rice. The author does a FANTASTIC job with some of the BEST back matter I have seen in a long time. In addition to the map in the front, there is an author's note, timeline of Myanmar’s history, glossary of terms in multiple languages, and a list of additional resource links. Like, WOW!! The only reason this book is 4 stars and not 5 is because the third person present tense POV made me feel a little bit outside of the characters' heads. But it’s also just my least favorite POV and it tends to pull me out of the story...I’m picky about this! But I ❤️ this book!!
This book is an excellent combination of entertaining and educational. It’s not like it’s intended to be super educational, but that just comes from being centered around a topic I didn’t know too much about! Hasina is a Muslim girl living in Myanmar. She and her family are very happy in their village until tensions start to grown and the Rohingya Muslims become targets, forced by the government to evacuate to Bangladesh. After one terrifying night, Hasina, her cousin Ghadiya, and her little brother Araf are separated from all the adults in their family and have to survive on their own. This in turn sets off a chain of events that will test the kids’ strength and determination. The variety of challenges they face means that this story is fast paced and never gets boring. It also does a great job of covering some very heavy topics in a way that is serious but not overwhelming for kids. I really wanted to read this book because I have never seen or read a book set in Myanmar or that deals with the Rohingya crisis. It’s a great title to add to your library to increase representation for a variety of cultures. The back says intended for grades 6+ but I can easily see this in my 5th grade classroom. It would be great as a read aloud where the teacher can offer support for some of the cultural concepts that might be very foreign to some students. I found myself googling a lot while I read to educate myself, including maps and history of Myanmar and the process of growing and harvesting rice. The author does a FANTASTIC job with some of the BEST back matter I have seen in a long time. In addition to the map in the front, there is an author's note, timeline of Myanmar’s history, glossary of terms in multiple languages, and a list of additional resource links. Like, WOW!! The only reason this book is 4 stars and not 5 is because the third person present tense POV made me feel a little bit outside of the characters' heads. But it’s also just my least favorite POV and it tends to pull me out of the story...I’m picky about this! But I ❤️ this book!!