Hasina lives in Rakhine State in Myanmar with her younger brother Araf, her cousin, aunt, grandmother, father and mother. She loves studying math, playing soccer, and walking to the bazaar to visit her father at work. But rising tensions in her hometown come to a head one night when military troops come in the night to drive Muslim Rohingya people from their homes. Hasina, Araf, and their cousin go running to hide in the woods - becoming separated from their parents and struggling to survive in a community that views them as enemies.

This is a harrowing story of violence and target persecution from a Burmese-Australian author. The narrative progresses quickly and unpacks many horrors that many young people and their families experience around the world. A timeline and author's note provide helpful insight - especially the reminder that human rights violations are still a reality in Myanmar. This is a hard read, but a timely and important one.

I valued the close knit relationship of the family portrayed in this well-written Middle Grade book. It opens a culture to a younger audience that is not often portrayed. All in all, I found the overall story to be pleasant, but not strikingly memorable.

The conflict in Myanmar is one that Americans may be vaguely aware of but likely do not truly understand. Books like this one not only help us to understand the details of the conflict but also what life is like for the people directly affected. We are given a brief snapshot of normal life for the Rohingyas before the soldiers come and tear everything apart. The remainder of the book is the daily struggle to survive, the constant fear that the efforts they've put in won't be enough, the constant threat that the soldiers will return, and the gradual realization that there is no going back to life as it had been. The text doesn't really go into the role of social media on the persecution of the Rohingya, the element that I was actually aware of, choosing instead to humanize the conflict.

I enjoyed this middle grade story about a young girl and her family that face severe persecution in Myanmar as a member of Rohingya cultural group. I appreciated the close relationship between the family members and the other friendships they built in order to survive their situation. However, I think it might be a tough book to sell to the students in my middle school classes.

I have to admit my own ignorance towards the history of the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar. I didn't know much about its history before this book, but I feel like I am a little more familiar after reading Crossing the Farak River. This book is geared towards middle grade, but I think that anyone who is interested in learning more about the Rohingyas could benefit from reading it. I'm not much of a middle grade fan myself, but I didn't have too much of a problem with the age of the characters or their decisions in this book. I would primarily attribute that to the serious subject matter, but it also partially is related to the writing style. It just comes off as more polished than some of the other middle grade novels that I have read. My only complaint is that the ending didn't feel complete to me. It just sort of stopped and I wanted more closure.

Thank you to Netgalley and Annick Press for providing me with an e-ARC of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This story of 14-year-old Hasina allows the reader to step into the reality behind the headlines about the plight of the Rohingya people. I think it is because of that news element and because it's trying to describe a setting and culture that is foreign to many English speaking readers that the book often feels like it's explaining rather than just telling a story. Although there is action from the very first page, it took me about half of the book to really connect with Hasina. Recommended for middle grade readers who enjoy books that give them a window into another culture.
Based on a review copy through NetGalley.

Hasina and her little brother Araf live in constant fear of the Myanmar army, or Sit Tat. As Rohingyas, they are in danger in their own home. When the army attacks in the night, Hasina, along with her brother and cousin run into the forest to hide. But when they return, everyone has gone. Hasina is left to take care of her family and learn what happened to her parents and aunt.

I love discovering books that take place in countries that just don't get written about, especially when they are aimed at children. I had never read anything that took place in Myanmar before, so I was very excited to read this book. I think this story is a great introduction to the unstable situation in that country. It felt very real and had a great sense of place. I found myself feeling very stressed out for what Hasina was going through and stayed up very late into the night so that I could finish the story. This book is aimed at upper middle grade (I would say ages 12 and up), but I found it very informative and readable. I highly recommend checking this out!

Crossing the Farak River
by Michelle Aung Thin


Annick Press Ltd.

Annick Press

Children's Fiction


Pub Date 07 Apr 2020

I am reviewing a copy of Crossing the Farak River through Annick Press and Netgalley:



For Hasina and her little brother Araf, the constant threat of the Sit Tat, the Myanmar Army, it had in fact become a way of life in the Rakhine province. Just the mention of the Sit Tat sends chills down their spines. They know that the only thing to do when the sound of the helicopters, they run and not stop. When soldiers invade their village one night, and Hasina awakes to her aunt's fearful voice, followed by smoke, and then a scream, they do as they always do and run.



Hasina races deep into the Rakhine to hide with her cousin and Araf, when they emerge days later it is to a smoldering village, their house is still standing but their family is gone. Where could they be, have the soldiers taken them?


I found Crossing the Farak River five out of five stars, this would be a good teaching tool for middle grade to junior high school students, teaching of culture, and the effects of war!


Happy Reading!

I really appreciated that this book featured a really unique perspective that is not common in most popular YA or Middle Grade fiction. I think the writing was beautiful and I'd recommend adding this to a library or other collection.

Michelle Aung Thin has done an amazing job of bringing the crisis facing the Rohingya people to the forefront of the minds of young readers. It can be overwhelming to grapple with the many acts of violence being committed against minority groups around the world, but it is something that has to happen. So often, in schools and in homes, we treat genocide as something historical. However, it is as current as ever.

Crossing the Farak River tells the story of a Rohingya family living in Myanmar and specifically in the state of Rakhine. The protagonist is Hasina, a teenager who becomes responsible for taking care of her grandmother, cousin, and younger brother when her village is attacked by the military. The characters in this book are extremely well-developed and readers will become wrapped up in their story.

Authors of young adult literature have a difficult job of educating their readers and exposing them to global issues without making their work didactic or dogmatic. Michelle Aung Thin has done a remarkable job with Crossing the Farak River.

Absolutely gut wrenching story.You hear of the Rohingyas but don’t really pay much attention.This book captures the plight of the Rohingyas in Myanmar.
Told through the voice of a young Rohingya girl Hasina.Her whole world is turned upside down when she flees to the forest when her neighborhood is set on fire.
Opens your eyes to the ongoing humanitarian crisis there.Well written,fast paced truly amazing book.
Thankyou Netgalley for this ARC

This appears to be the same book as Hasina, also by Michelle Aung Thin, in 2019, although I'm not sure why a different title and cover are being offered here.