A great book that allows students (any reader) to see life experience from another perspective. Even though it is not something that most of my students can relate to, it is still relatable and relevant. Plus, it will capture their attention and make them think.

Ghalib's story is a very effective way to teach today's middle school students what it is like to have to leave the home you knew and loved and become a refugee with an uncertain future. While learning the differences of his culture, Ghalib and his family are very easy to relate to, and the reader can not help but feel the emotions he and his family go through in trying to find a new, safe place to call home.

A colleague told me not to begin reading this unless I could finish it, and that was good advice because I didn't want to put it down. In addition to being fully invested in Ghalib and his family, I was fascinated by the different cultures and how their experiences differed so drastically from mine. I highly recommend this book for every intermediate and above classroom!

I think I've found my new read aloud for next month. As we move towards our last social studies unit (1975-present), I was looking for a current events tie-in. This is perfect. My 5th graders won't be able contain the,selves once we've read the first chapter.

Ghalib hates that life in Syria has changed so much. Bombs, scrounging for food, distrust. After he and his cousin is injured by a bomb, Ghalib's family decides they must leave the country but just getting to the border is difficult - snipers, opposing forces, hunger and thirst. Then other countries don't want them so it is more waiting, danger, extortion. Can his family make it safely out of Syria?
Based on accounts of refugees this story will shine a light on the crisis. This will be good for students who may need or want to know more about what is going on.
I am in an interesting situation as a librarian. My grade 1 - 5 school will be closing in a few years and merging with another school in the district and the grade spans will all be changed. For the most part my collection will be for a preK - 4 school with some going up to the restructured junior high which will include grades 5 - 8. All that being said, I am trying to steer away from adding too many new books that would be best suited, as this one is, to the older crowd.

Readers will get wrapped up in Ghalib’s story. The language in this book is straightforward enough for a middle-grade audience, but the ideas will allow for rich discussion.

This book is great. Looking through Ghalib's eyes, the Syrian Civil War and its far-reaching consequences becomes personal reality, not just the kind of far-away travesty you read about in the newspaper. The world Ghalib and his family struggle to navigate is brutal, but they cling to hope and humanity, just trying to find somewhere they can live in safety. Knowing that this is the reality lived by up to five million internationally displaced Syrians today makes you straighten up and wonder what you can do to help.