Thank you to Clarion Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Given the current situation in Afghanistan, this book is very timely, This is the semi-autobiographical story of Kenan, a Muslim boy from Bosnia who is forced to leave his home due to the genocide of 1992-1995. Kenan encountered a lot of very bad people and discovered how easily many of his friends could turn against him when he needed them most. Kenan also met a lot of very kind people who went above and beyond to keep him and his family safe. This is a very inspiring story based on true events. It would be a great addition to any classroom or school library,

This is a moving and true story about Kenan Trebincevic, a refugee from war torn Bosnia. It follows his journey from Bosnia right before the war, to Europe to America. He is heartening to hear about how his best friend and teacher both turned on him. You feel for he and his family as they struggle to get out safely! Unfortunately, the struggles continue, but this story has a happy ending.

This is a wonderful middle grade novel that I highly recommend!! I think it is a story that all should read and many can relate to.

World in Between is a powerful memoir recounting the experiences of a young Bosnian Muslim, Kenan, and his family as they escaped war-torn Bosnia and became refugees in America. Kenan enjoys playing soccer with his classmates, but one day notices that they have started to treat him like an outsider, confusing him at first. It becomes clear that Kenan and his family are being targeted because of their religion. Tensions escalate and the family hunkers down in their home with dwindling food and water and limited electricity as war rages around them. With no immediate end to the conflict in sight, the family endures a harrowing journey to escape to Vienna. While it is safer there, they find themselves living in crowded conditions with other family members and dependent on the kindness of others for their survival. Eventually they learn that they have been selected to emigrate to America. The family lands in Connecticut, starting their lives over in another new country without jobs or knowledge of the language. Kenan enters school and begins to learn English and make friends, all the while monitoring the events in his country and thinking about the possibility of returning home. World in Between is a moving, engaging, and informative book that provides readers with a window into Kenan’s experiences and reflects the lives and experiences of many refugees. Kenan’s life in America shows that the transition to a new country takes time and can be challenging, which is something that many middle grade readers can relate to from their own experiences. Readers will be drawn in by the tense situations that the family endures as they try to survive and rebuild their lives. The book provides many opportunities for meaningful discussion about tolerance, bullying, and immigration.

This memoir starts with 12-year-old Kenan and his family living in Yugoslavia. At first they notice that people are calling them and other Muslims names. Tensions rise and other Muslim families leave. Then his teacher, his TEACHER, points a gun at him and calls him a dirty Muslim. Eventually businesses close and they have no income. Their money in the bank is stolen, and they live on the kindness of strangers. When they finally manage to get out of the country, they stay with family and friends in Vienna. Finally a refugee group helps them secure visas to the US. The danger has passed, but they still have a long journey ahead, and they have to rely on the kindness of strangers to make it in their new country.

I think this is a good book to spark discussions about tolerance, immigration, and refugees. While the circumstances of refugee stories are hard and the events are sad, they are also full of hope: hope that tomorrow will be better, hope that someone will show kindness and offer help, hope for a future.

I received an electronic ARC from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group through NetGalley.
Powerful story about this author's journey from Yugoslavia during the war. His family was attacked and persecuted for being Muslims. Readers see the constant fear they lived under and everything they endured before they were able to escape to Vienna. From there, they were chosen to emigrate to the United States. Once there, readers see the difficulties of adjusting to a new country without money, jobs, a home or the ability to speak the language.
Though those who have not experiences such a journey cannot completely understand, middle graders will be offered a direct window into this family's journey. OwnVoices books like this one help others learn from and respect others' life stories.

I've read a lot of refugee stories over the years about people leaving a variety of countries, and while each one, no matter the quality of writing, is heartbreaking and important, this middle grades 384 page historical fiction/ fictionalized biography account stands out because it is written so incredibly well.  The story shows young Kenan's life before the Balkan War in Bosnia, a year of the war, life in Vienna, and then in the USA.  The book is personable, relatable, and informative.  I had a very hard time putting it down despite knowing that the main character, the author, obviously survived; as the story is engaging and powerful and doesn't rely on the horrific war to carry the character building and story arcs alone.  The character identifies as Muslim, but doesn't actively practice or know much about Islam, sports and art are highlighted as universal activities that bridge cultures, language, and foster respect.  The book mentions drinking, kissing, hints at a crush, and features bullying, death, killing, and torture.  Suitable for mature fourth graders and up.

SYNOPSIS:

Kenan has a good life in Brčko, Yugoslavia, he is good at soccer, is an amazing artist, has a bunch of friends, a teacher he likes, loving extended family, his father owns a popular gym, and his mom is an office manager, sure his older brother picks on him sometimes and he gets called, "Bugs Bunny" because of his large protruding teeth, but when it all comes crashing down because of his religion, he is at a loss as to why it suddenly matters.  While neighbors and classmates start sneaking off in the night fearing that the Serbs are going to kill all the Muslims and Catholics, Kenan's dad holds out hope that he is well loved by everyone at his gym, no matter their religion.  But the family waits too long to leave, and friends, neighbors, classmates, and teachers quickly turn in to enemies.  Kenan's buddies threaten and abuse him, his favorite teacher holds him at gun point, and neighbors shoot holes in their water cans.  The family ultimately has to hunker down in their apartment without much water, food, and electricity.  They get to Kenan's aunt's house in a safe zone, but the men have to register and his father and brother are taken to a concentration camp.  Somehow they get released, but the family's troubles are just beginning.  Along the way they will be betrayed by people they thought they could trust and helped by people that they thought hated them- no matter the country, no matter people's religion.  The family will get to Austria and to Kenan's uncle, but even being away from war doesn't give them peace.  They don't speak the language, they can't work, they must take charity.  Eventually they find themselves in Connecticut, and while some American's make their difficult lives even worse, some prove to be absolute angels to a family that is trying to make a life in a new country while the war wages on back home.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I love that stories about the Balkan War are becoming more and more available, it is long overdue, and I'm glad that through literature, authentic voices are keeping the memory of the horrific acts from being forgotten.  The story is compelling, a few threads I wanted resolved that weren't (more information on his grandma, his uncle in Vienna, his aunt that they left behind), but the narrative is rich and does a great job staying relevant to its target audience and not overwhelming the reader with politics or sensationalized emotions.  The rawness of the experience being processed by the 11 year old protagonist is impactful enough and doesn't need to be exaggerated.  The book is not depressing, in fact there is a lot of joy and hope and kindness.  

I love that Kenan acknowledges that he has been to the mosque once with his uncle, that they don't fast in Ramadan, but they do celebrate Eid.  It hints that at times they may drink, but they are good about not eating pork, although they eat jell-o. In shop class in the United States his first project is a replica of the mosque in their neighborhood.  Their names are known to be Muslim in Bosnia, and that is enough for them to endure the ethnic cleansing, belief or adherence, is not a factor.

I love that sports and art are universal.  Math is too, but Kenan isn't good at math.  He wins accolades in each country for his drawings, and gets respect from classmates for his athletic ability.  Not speaking the language is hard, but being able to prove yourself in other ways is a salvation for Kenan.  He is on teams, he goes to the World Cup, he gets in fights, he is honored in the newspaper.  Life in general grounds him, yet soccer and drawing give him a release to excel in.

I love the diversity of everyone in each country.  Heroes are seen in immigrants, minorities, Americans, a Methodist preacher, an Israeli bus driver, a Serb bus driver, a Serb soldier and his family, a .  There are awful immigrants, and white Americans, and Serbs- it really shows that some people are just good and kind, and some people are not, it isn't linked to any faith or country or culture or neighborhood or skin tone.  I was surprised that at no point were their other Muslims.   We got to know so many wonderful Bosnians in the 90s as our family helped them get settled, that I was really hoping there would be some in Connecticut working with the churches that helped settle Kenan and his family.  That isn't a critique of the book, though, just my disappointment in my fellow Muslim-Americans for not stepping up enough in real life to make the literary cut, I suppose.

FLAGS:

Violence, torture, death, bullying, killing, shooting, hints at sexual assault, physical assault, ethnic cleansing, genocide, war.  It mentions that Kenan's brother got to kiss a girl and have a drink, but nothing more detailed than that.  Kenan has a crush on a girl, but it manifests periodically as him just wondering if she survived and is ok.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

This book is on a short list for me to use next year for middle school book club.  It is a little below grade level for my group, but book club is supposed to be fun and not a burden, so I think it will be perfect.  The kids are going to absolutely love Kenan.  He is so relatable and personable, that I don't think any supplemental questions or discussion points will be needed.  Kids will have lots of thoughts about Islam in Bosnia, friends turn enemies, restarting in new countries again and again, anger at people that didn't step up, glee when people did, jealousy when he gets to go to a World Cup game, and hopefully empathy for so many who's world changed so quickly.  The biggest takeaways will be how it didn't take much to help, and I hope all readers will recognize that we can be kind and we can help and we can respect and care enough to truly help others.

World in Between tells the account of a Bosnian family of four escaping the conflict during the breakup of Yugoslavia. Kenan is a boy, confused at how the religious conflicts have caused his close friends and teachers to turn against him. The family loses everything it possesses, but everyone survives. The book follows their escape outside the boundary of Bosnia and follows them through several moves eventually landing in Connecticut.

The author admits that the account is based on his recollections of his experiences from ages 11 to 13. The text serves as a springboard for discussions about Yugoslavia, bigotry, religious conflict, bullying and immigration. Despite knowing that the story has a positive outcome, the book itself proof, we readers care for Kenan and his family members on throughout their journey and cheering for his artistic and athletic victories.

This book is best suited for upper elementary and middle grades. At times early in the book, the dialogue felt a bit awkward, but that issue dissipated quickly. Thank you NetGalley and HMH/Clarion for this ARC in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Thanks to NetGalley for this digital ARC of World In Between by Kenan Trebincevic and Susan Shapiro. I have to be honest, this book was a bit different than I expected. I was expecting more of a fictionalized story based on true events but it really reads more like a biography. The narrative seemed stilted a bit, but the book is still an amazing tale. What the author went through as a young boy and teen is truly staggering and inspiring. This book is Kenan's story of his harrowing escape from his war-torn home country of Bosnia and his continued perils while in the United States.

"World in Between" by Kenan Trebincevic
Release Date: 7.27.2021

Kenan loves to draw and play soccer, hoping to be a family player when he grows up. He doesn't like being teased by his big brother. His life is happy, until the war in Bosnia.

Kenan and his family's life changes overnight. There is no food or water They must stay in their home. For ten months, they finally leave their country alive and arrives in the United States. But America isn't the quick fix Kenan thought.

This book is based on the author's life, showing the truth, struggle, and violence that residents of Bosnia and other war-torn countries must endure. It is definitely eyeopening without being too violent for middle schoolers. It also shows the immigrant experience, sharing how Kenan felt and was treated after he arrived by his neighbors and classmates. This book will definitely be added to my middle grade area. I think my afterschoolers will benefit by reading this novel.


Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this title in exchange for an honest review.

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This book is about a Muslim boy from Bosnia. I really liked that it was a true story, the main character was a boy who loves soccer and it showcased all of his real emotions about being in a war torn country, being a refugee but also “normal” middle school boy emotions like wanting friends and to be good a sports. It shows truth, struggle and violence but in a way that is appropriate for middle grades students. So many books about this topic are not able to be used in middle grades classrooms but this one is perfect. It also demonstrated that coming to America isn't some kind of magic fix when someone is a refugee. There is so much else to overcome and deal with after arriving.