What happens to children in a war-torn country? Omar and his brother lose their father and are forced to leave their home to live on the fringes of a refugee camp, struggling every day just to get some water and food. Each of them reacts in their own way to the situation, according to their own means and maturity. Predictably, the weaker of the two falls prey to the sowers of lies, those who twist religion to assume power over others. A children's book that, as it should be, has a happy ending that is perhaps unlikely in reality, but which explores in detail how the manipulation takes place that leads so many young boys to become guerrillas by receiving absurd promises in return. And it explains how at the bottom of many of those who manoeuvre them is nothing more than an immoral form of bullying.

Wild Poppies is a story of children living through the Syrian war, and how a war-stricken country can destroy the light and joy in their lives. This is a tragic tale of children trying to survive through a war they hardly understand, and Haya Saleh's writing is just gorgeously heartbreaking. I found it interesting how the author portrays the children being brainwashed by religious extremists and how there are people who would take advantage of the children living in those rough wartime conditions for their own benefit. However, one thing that I slightly dislike is the ending. The earlier parts of the book were tragic and miserable, yet we find hope and strength from the children as they lived through another day. The ending made it as if everything is all fine and dandy now, and it felt like the author tried to give the book a Disney-like ending. With how much realism and tragedy the author incorporated in the book, a happy, hopeful ending seemed unsuitable to me. I want these children to have a happy ending, but the change in tone was just too abrupt.
All in all though, it was a great read. Definitely recommend.

Many thanks to Levine Querido and Netgalley for the e-ARC!

This book was quick read. I liked that is alternated between 2 different perspectives and gave you a picture of what it was like for everyone. I would have liked to have read more about Mama and Thoraya and life in the village after the 2 brothers left and how they ultimately escaped to safety.

I was expecting to love this book but unprepared for just how deeply it touched me, and everyone in Wayfarers Book Club for whom I chose it. This comment from one member sums up our discussion: "I really loved this one. I felt the pain and desperation the family was going through. Omar, trying to be the responsible figure because they lost their dad. Sufyan, being manipulated by terrorists just because he was a kid trying to help his family. One of my favorite characters was Salma, a strong girl in a place where women aren't valued (and I appreciated her dad's kindness). I had to take deep breaths while reading it because I was expecting the worst, and I was relieved by the positive ending." Brava to Haya Saleh and Marcia Lynx Qualey for an unforgettable read.

hank you to Netgalley for an advance review copy of this book! Remembering my notes from this book, it's even more compelling than when I downloaded it because we're in August (women in translation month). I was impressed by the mature subject of the book despite it being a middle grade novel. Applicable to a wide readership - and beautiful while heartbreaking at the same time.

Thank you to the publisher for the galley of this moving book!

Wild Poppies is the story of one Syrian family who are displaced during the war. The story is told through the eyes of Omar and Sufyan, brothers who each feel the weight of their responsibility to their family after their father’s death.

Saleh does an incredibly job of rendering a very complex and tragic story into a format that can be read and related to by younger readers. She thoughtfully weaves in themes of how children are taken advantage of in humanitarian situations and showcases a very real problem of armed groups manipulating boys into becoming child soldiers. As someone who works in the field of humanitarian aid, I found the account of these events through children’s eyes to be moving and heartbreaking.

I think it is important for young adult audiences to read stories about young people in settings that may be very different from the place where they have grown up. Reading about the experiences of their peers in war, refugee camps, and as unaccompanied youth, can help build empathy and promote awareness of the struggles of people throughout the world. I think Saleh’s treatment of the young people in this book renders them very relatable, as she weaves in details about the regular kid stuff they are doing and thinking about, even in the midst of circumstances that force them to grow up quickly.

Overall I think this book was well-crafted and will bring an important perspective to young readers who encounter it.

SUCH A BEAUTIFUL STORY. Touching without being trauma p0rn but showcasing the complicated and vulnerable feelings displaced people has and how their families are broken and they broke too and they try to meant themselves again but in a different place so different from their birth place and how it change them.

Two brothers fight to reunite amidst the turmoil of the Syrian War. Since the passing of their father, Omar has tried--and in. Wild Poppies is a story of two brothers, Omar and Sufyan, in the middle of the Syrian War. They are forced to flee.

Wild Poppies is a haunting story of two brothers separated in Syria during the ongoing conflict. It is effectively told in alternating sections between 15 year old Omar who is searching for his 12 year old brother, Sufyan. Each chose different paths in trying to support their mother and sister after their father’s death. While reading, I was struck by how this story provides a glimpse into the experiences of children in Syria, the use of children in war, and the devastation of occupation. For me, the ending felt a touch rushed though this choice did keep me focused on the experiences throughout the story rather than just the resolution, Wild Poppies is a novel filled with love and grief aimed at older middle grade readers with much to offer older readers as well. Thank you to Levine Querido and NetGalley for the eARC.

I'm very weak when it comes to sibling stories, and this book just put the nail in my heart. There were many important topics discussed that everyone should read.

A heart wrenching story set during the Syrian war, this book is about siblings and what it means to have hope.

Told from dual POVs of two brothers, I found myself weeping along with Sufyan and Omar. The dark and important topics of grooming and radicalisation were discussed with care, and although this is middle grade, this was an emotional book that everyone should read, no matter the age. This war is still ongoing, Syrians are still fighting for freedom, and this book gives them a voice.

I would highly recommend everyone to read this book! Fantastic writing, well-paced, and the plot moved forward quick enough to make it impactful yet not boring at all. Thanks to NetGalley for the e-arc!

Based on the context of Syrian civil war, Haya Saleh's novel 'Wild Poppies' tales the story of two brothers. Fifteen years old Omar unwantedly becomes his family's head after sudden death of his father in a viloent outbreak of war torn Syria. But his hard struggles to guide his family in a safe manner doesn't seem sufficient to the younger brother Sufyan who is only twelve years old. Unsatisfied with the attempts of Omar, Sufyan tries to help his family in a significant but quick way only to be trapped by a Muslim extremist group who targets little children to make child warrior by brain washing them with violence and fake islamist ideologies. After Sufyan got abducted by these extremists, Omar goes all way to find his little brother. But the outcome is brutal as more and more violence hit his family and village. It's also the story of a little girl Salema who likes Omar in a society that is raked with hatred every moment.

The story represents unusual upbringing of children in war-weary lands of Syria. In an age when they should learn about the positives of life and love, their lives are devastated by hatred, violence, pain, agony, uncertainty and trauma. The islamaic extremism that leads the way of terrorism is neatly sketched in the eyes of two little children. Salema and Omar's mother represents the women of Syria who still fights for their dignity and identity. Translated from Arabic to English by Marcia Lynx Qualey, the book's language is easy to grasp. I personally loved the narrative style from various perspectives. All the characters are just great and relatable in respect to the Syrian context. Loved the true world creation of War devastated Syria. The novel represents horrible incidents in an emotional but sympathetic point of view. Not only the human condition and psychological explorations but the political scenario of Syria is greatly represented by the author.

If anyone wants to read a fiction about Syria from a perspective of child then this novel that reminds me of 'The boy in striped pyjamas' by John Boyne, is a great choice. From me this one is a four star read. I am genuinely grateful to Netgalley for providing me the e-arc of the title.

3.5 stars

Wild Poppies is a middle grade book that tells the story of two young brothers trying to find their way back to each other after getting separated during the Syrian war.

Wild Poppies is a simple but poignant story. At first I was complaining how the book read like a children’s novel because of how too simplistic the prose and storytelling were even for a middle grade book but I figured it probably sounded and flowed better in its original Arabic and bearing in mind that I am not the target audience. Despite all that, the story kept me engaged and my heart went out to these two brothers - to Omar who tried his best to fill their deceased father’s shoes but still felt helpless over their situation and whose brother saw him as a weakling and a failure, and to Sufyan, this brave boy who shouldn’t have been subjected to that kind of trauma at such a young age (or ever).

In this middle-grade novel we follow two young brothers who loose touch of each other, both in a literal and metaphorical sense during the war in Syria. Even if they thought they were safe in their village, one day war eventually reaches them, and as they loose their father, Omar and Sufyan loose their childhood.

As Omar is the eldest brother, he feels the pressure to become the man of the family, while Sufyan does not trust his ability to do so, which pushes him to look for alternative ways to earn money for the family, their sick mother and little sister. In doing so, he unknowingly joins an extremist group that abducts him and other boys to join in fightings. This will force Omar to go out of his comfort zone to try and find him again with the help of his friend Salma, but will the family ever be reunited ?

I enjoyed the book which is short and effective in showing how children are not allowed to be children anymore in conflict zones, however, I found that the novel was too short, and the story felt rushed, to the point in some parts it almost seemed I was reading a summary of the book rather than the book itself.

It was still an enjoyable and touching reading, and I hope I will be able to read more complex works by Haya Saleh. I would suggest this for teenagers, but do check the trigger warnings before of course.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free review copy.

This is an interesting glimpse into two siblings' lives during part of the Syrian civil war.

Despite the heavy topic, this is aimed at younger readers. The writing is very simplistic and young-feeling. There were way more ! and ?? than any other book I've read, which made it feel like it was written by somebody young.

Maybe it's because I read an advance copy, but there were a lot of page breaks that didn't make sense in the middle of scenes, which was odd.

I was not a fan of Sufyan at all. I felt like he read younger than he was supposed to and all he did was blame other people for not stopping him from making bad decisions.

It's great to see more translated works, especially from a language like Arabic, which I haven't seen much from.

Such a heartbreakingly powerful but beautiful narrative aimed at middle schoolers, with superb language and a premise that captivates you regardless of the advised audience. The tale isn't exactly lighthearted, yet it's presented in a way that's appropriate for a younger audience. And, while the pace of the novel was great throughout, I noticed that as the conclusion arrived, the pacing became too rushed. Aside from that, this novel is a must-read that I strongly recommend.

Thank you to the author and the publisher for this ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the perspectives of Omar and Sufyan so much!
I can't believe this book is middle grade give the topics of war and death but that is the reality that we live in currently.
I loved the writing and felt like the pace of the book was great but I felt like the end was a bit rushed.

Thanks to Netgalley and Levine Querido for the eARC! Wild poppies is out on 6 june 2023.

I didn't realise this book was middle grade when I picked it up, but I have to say this is the type of book child-me would have loved, and adult-me was also very impressed by.

Wild poppies follows two Syrian brothers, omar and sufyan, who's father has been killed in the ongoing war in Syria. They now live near a refugee camp with their mother and younger sister. Throughout the book, the family gets separated, as sufyan finds himself entangled with religious extremists called the Falcons of Truth and their home is bombed once again. The story alternates between omar and sufyans point of view as they try to find their way back to each other.

It takes a special kind of writing to be able to tell a story this hard and heartbreaking to children. There is violence and death in Wild poppies, and this makes it not the easiest read, but nonetheless it is still told in a way that is suitable for a younger audience, which I found really impressive. The characters are diverse and interesting and the story is told at the right pace, except for the end, which felt a little rushed to me. I won't spoil it, but I would have liked a few extra pages after the last words.

Before reading this, I thought that this was going to be YA but it turned out to be MG which made much more sense judging from the writing and the fast pace. The story is sad and powerful but the author handled it very well to make it suitable for younger audience.

Oscar and Sufyan are Syrian refugees living with their mother in a refugee camp.  Being the oldest brother, Oscar feels like it's his responsibility to be the man in the family. His younger brother Sufyan takes a non-traditional path to provide for his family by joining a group who pays him lots of money to do different jobs.  When the group takes the group of boys and forces them to be in an army it's up to Oscar to find him and bring the family back together. 

Even though my oldest is a soon to be middle schooler, I don't read a lot of middle school books. I need to rectify this.  I think this is the perfect book for young readers because it gives them a glimpse into the life of Syrian refugees without getting too scary or sad. The story is told in dual perspectives, giving us a glimpse into the lives of each brother.  This is such a poignant and necessary read. Highly recommend it.