Refugee

Oh my goodness. This book. These characters. Refugee by Alan Gratz is middle grade literature at its finest, and once again, my mind is blown by the quality and richness of the stories that are available to our children. Kid lit has come such a long way since I was little, and I love it so much! I’d heard huge accolades about Refugee, and I’m always a bit nervous to read something when my expectations are set so high. But this book didn't let me down. To the contrary, Refugee exceeded my expectations. Simply put: it was absolutely phenomenal. Refugee tells three seemingly separate stories that all merge in beautiful ways at the end. Josef is a young Jewish boy living in Nazi Germany in the 1930s. With the horrific threat of concentration camps on the near horizon, he boards the St. Louis with his family, seeking refuge on the other side of the world. Isabel is a Cuban girl, and her story is set in 1994 as riots and unrest plague her community and her country. She and her family set out on a scrappy raft for Miami, hoping for freedom and safety. Mahmoud is a Syrian boy in 2015. When a bomb strikes his home and his entire world is torn apart by violence, he and his family begin a harrowing journey to Europe. All three kids are driven from their homes due to extreme danger, and all embark on unimaginable voyages towards refuge and freedom. I cannot get over this book. The characterization was stellar. The settings were vivid and authentic, and though the stories shared many similarities, the uniqueness of each journey was made evident through the authors meticulously researched details. The pacing was terrific, the pages begged to be read, and the suspense left me with my heart in my throat. This is a must read -- for learning about world history, for providing windows into the harrowing experiences so many children face on a regular basis, and for recognizing that, despite our differences, we all long for the same things: safety, security, and a welcoming homeland in which to establish our roots. Two trunks up.

The quality of the product exceeds expectations. Even though it is labeled as used, it appears to be brand new. I can confidently recommend purchasing books from this seller.

I'm halfway through Alan Gratz' REFUGEE, and I can say, even before I finish, that if you asked, I would give this book 5 stars. More if they were available. But if you asked me why, I'm not sure I could explain. When I stop to think, I can see the craft elements he wields so beautifully--the tight structure of each short chapters, the clarity with which he switches stories, the bits of power he gives to the young children, the slivers of hope he weaves in so subtly that you don't see them, only feel them. But I can't tell you what he does to make me catch my breath at least once in every chapter. How he makes my heart hurt for every character, but most painfully for the three young heroes. How he keeps me reading even as I worry about and fear who will survive and who won't. Josef's story of fleeing the Nazis is the hardest for me, because it hits closest to home, but both Isabel and Mahmoud have me absolutely trapped with love and pain as well. This is a must-read for all of us, kids or adults. This is a book that absolutely ignites understanding and empathy.

Gratz takes a political concept and gives it a face, a story, and a heart. In Refugee, we read the stories of three refuges from three time periods. A Jewish boy on the cusp of manhood, Josef finds himself boarding a luxury cruise ship with his family in hopes of outrunning Hitler's army in 1938. Isabel and her family board a homemade boat to flee Castro's Cuba in 1994. Mahmoud and his family risk life and limb fleeing 2015 Syria after the wall of their apartment is literally blown away. Each story is told by a child who must leave all he or she has ever known, take a deadly journey, see horrors no child should ever experience, and fight for their lives and freedom at every turn. As each makes the hopeful and terrifying journey toward freedom, they remind us that refugees are not monsters or threats to society, but people who only long for peace, safety, and comfort. Each story is based on true historical events, which Gratz discusses at the end of the novel. A fantastic read that can lead to much discussion. Suitable for middle grades and up, but be aware that there is plenty of war violence, brutality, and incivility suffered by these children as they struggle to reach safety.

I loved the story. So many twists and turns. I cannot believe what happened at the end. It is amazing what a brother will do for their sister.

Great book!

This was part of our school curriculum. Powerful read.

Told in three voices, this powerful trio of stories can't help but stir empathy in readers. A timely read. I especially loved how the three lives somehow touched each other at the end-masterful! Highly recommended! 'They only see us when we do something they don't want us to do,' Mahmoud realized. The thought hit him like a lightning bolt. When they stayed where they were supposed to be-in the ruins of Aleppo or behind the fences of a refugee camp-people could forget about them. But when refugees did something they didn't want them to do-when they tried to cross the border into their country, or slept on the front stoops of their shops, or jumped in front of their cars, or prayed on the decks of their ferries-that's when people couldn't ignore them any longer. A calm came over Lito, as though he'd come to some sort of understanding, some decision. 'I see it now, Chabela. All of it. The past, the present, the future. All my life, I kept waiting for things to get better. For the bright promise of manana. But a funny thing happened while I was waiting for the world to change; Chabela: It didn't. Because I didn't change it. I'm not going to make the same mistake twice. Take care of your mother and baby brother for me.' See us, Mahmoud thought. Hear us. Help us.

Great book. Very suspenseful with twists and turns. Shed tears reading this book. Heart wrenching events in our history made vivid within these individuals stories. Loved it.

Builds up the understanding and empathy in the right measure towards the plight of the suffering humanity.

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