I finished this book in one sitting! It was so compelling I couldn't put it down. It's the story of Sami who has emigrated to Boston from Afghanistan with his grandfather. It was a long and difficult journey and although things are difficult in Boston, at least they are safe. Sami and his grandfather make money by playing a traditional instrument from Afghanistan in the train station, but one day the instrument is stolen and Sami's grandfather must take a job washing dishes. With the help of a friend, Sami finds the instrument in a pawnshop but the pawnshop owner wants $700 for it. Sami comes up with an idea that maybe he can trade to get enough money. As the story unfolds, the reader finds out more and more about why and how Sami and his grandfather came to the US. The characters are well developed and interesting and the story moves FAST. I think middle grade students are going to love this one!

There’s a lot to enjoy about The Eleventh Trade. Advances and setbacks in Sami’s trading efforts make for a suspenseful narrative. Readers might also empathize with Sami and Baba’s past experiences, which are revealed in greater detail as the story unfolds.

Sami and his grandfather have managed to escape Afghanistan after the violent deaths of Sami's parents, and have made their way across Europe to live in the Boston area. His grandfather (who was a well respected musician) has been earning a little money busking, playing the rebab, one of the few possessions they managed to take with them. When the instrument is stolen, Sami is bereft, although his grandfather is understanding and gets work as a dishwasher. When Sami trades his Manchester United key chain to Peter for an I Pod, hoping he can trade or sell it to get money to buy the rebab back, classmate Dan comes to his aid. The I Pod is broken, but he fixes it, and he helps Sami locate the pawn shop that has the instrument. The owner says he will hold it for a month, but it will cost $700 to retrieve it. Dan proves helpful not only in facilitating some of the trades, but in getting Sami involved in a soccer league and in introducing him to his friends. Throughout a series of trades, we see the difficulties that Sami and his grandfather are facing, and when a graduate student pays Sami for an interview, we learn even more details about what happened in Afghanistan. Even with help from friends, it's difficult to come up with that kind of money, but Sami and his grandfather find a supportive community that come to their aid in order to improve their lives just a tiny bit.

Strengths: The framework of the trading, plus the deadline at the pawn shop, moves this one along with a little bit of suspense. The details about Sami's escape from Afghanistan plus those about life in the US as a refugee are going to be helpful for young readers who don't understand what this could be like. The inclusion of soccer is brilliant. The strong and supportive community, and especially the friendship of Dan, are all very hopeful and set a good example for how we should all treat people. While not an #OwnVoice book, the author has done a lot of research and employed a variety of sensitivity readers and fact checkers.
Weaknesses: There are a few too many fortuitous circumstances in retrieving the rebab, but it does make for a feel good story.
What I really think: Definitely purchasing and excited to hand to students. The cover is great and will really help sell the book! I think my ESL teacher is going to want several copies of this!

I am always looking for upper elementary-middle school books that are great stories and do not contain sensitive subject materials. I am frequently asked for these kinds of books by parents and teachers. I have added "The Eleventh Trade" to my book talk list and will be promoting it when I visit classrooms next school year.
I am not Muslim, but I had a good friend who was in college. He provided a lot of education into Islam and the expectations between men and women who are Muslim. There were several awkward places in the story where the main character acts in ways that Muslims do not. For example, when he meets a a grown woman, he wonders if she should shake hands. A Muslim young man would never touch a woman. I hope that this text can be looked over by a practicing Muslim before bring printed to remove awkward moments in the story, like that scene.
However, that does not detract to much from the story and I plan to order this book for my library and promote it in book talks.