A lovely story providing a sliding door to many of my students, helping them to understand the immigrant experience, told through the eyes of a peer. We need more stories like this that are accessible to younger MG readers.

I'm more familiar with the author's poetry, but this was a great story. I like the connection being from the Midwest. This shows sensitivity to culture that many students need to hear.

This is a beautiful, quiet book full of lovely images and beautiful words, Shihab-Nye’s trademark. We especially loved this one because we live very close to Ann Arbor, MI, the setting of this novel, and it was fun to read about places we’ve visited.

This standalone sequel to The Turtle of Oman is a wonderfully sweet and gentle story of a young boy and his family's move from Oman to Michigan. While Aref is sad to leave his home and his grandfather, his move to Michigan is marked by the joy of new discoveries and new friendships. There's no major drama or conflict and yet I was eager to experience happiness along with Aref as he met new kids and neighbors from around the world, tried new foods, and explored the beauty of Michigan. Given the sweetness of the storyline, it's great for younger advanced readers (1st-3rd) or for more traditional middle grade readers (4th-7th) who like gently paced stories of kindness and discovery.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in return for an honest review.

A lovely middle grade story, although I would say it's geared a bit more towards younger middle grade, There's not a lot of action, but I could see doing this as a read aloud with 3rd or 4th graders. I really enjoyed the diversity of Aref's classmates and think it would be a great conversation starter about being the new student and celebrating differences.

As a note, I do think this can be read as a stand alone, and The Turtle of Oman doesn't need to be read first.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy. It's been over a year since I read the prequel Turtle of Oman, but you really don't need a refresher before jumping into this story. While the main characters are Muslim, it's not a religious story. The diversity of the neighbors and classmates adds to the heartwarming story of a family moving to America from Oman. The school's values and classroom activities are great for multicultural studies. The plot is a little slow, and there isn't too much action, but that is fine. This is an absolutely clean book, and I will likely use this in novel study in the future.

Aref is afraid about moving and making new friends. Naomi Shihab Nye has such a beautiful way with words. This is a wonderful follow up to the "Turtle of Oman".
It will make a great read-aloud in schools and help anyone who feels like they don't fit in, find their place.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

When Aref and his family move from Oman to Michigan, he tells his grandfather, Sidi, that he’s scared he won’t make new friends and what if no one likes him. Once there, Aref embraces life to its fullest. He loved flying; he wants to learn about the assembly lines at car factories. He makes friends with his next door neighbor,Hugh, who’s blind. When his dad takes him to check out his new school, he signs him up for art camp where he ends up making new friends. Missing Sidi is hard, but Aref is having fun. When school starts he has his new friends from art camp. He loves his new teacher who reminds the class “doing new things is good for the brain.” At the end a wonderful surprise awaits Aref.