Wild Poppies by Haya Saleh

War | Middle Grade | Audiobook

•Brothers, Omar and Sufyan are living in a war broken country. They become separated and need to fight to re-unite as a family.
•I read this book with my Australian Primary School teacher lens on. I think this would be a very interesting book to read with a very mature group of Year 6 students who already have background understanding of the Syrian War. Reading about religious extremist and the affect war has upon children and families can be difficult to consume. But Haya Saleh tells the story that is the reality for so many, in a powerful and thought-proving way.

Feels: heart-breaking, devastating and eye-opening

★★★★ 4/5

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC read

*As posted on my Instagram account today. @allthebooksalltheways

🎧𝐀𝐔𝐃𝐈𝐎𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖🎧

Thank you #partner @recordedbooks for the #gifted ALC.

𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗲𝘀
𝗕𝘆 𝗛𝗮𝘆𝗮 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗵
𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗮 𝗟𝘆𝗻𝘅 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘆
𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗔𝗺𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝗹 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗹
𝟯 𝗵𝗿𝘀 𝟱𝟴 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘀
𝗣𝘂𝗯: 𝟱/𝟮𝟯/𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯

📖 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: Since the passing of their father, Oscar has tried—and in his little brother Sufyan’s eyes, failed—to be the man of his family of Syrian refugees. As Oscar waits in line for rations, longing for the books he left behind when his family fled their home, Sufyan explores more nontraditional methods to provide for his family. Ignoring his brother’s warnings, Sufyan gets more and more involved with a group that provides him with big rewards for doing seemingly inconsequential tasks.

When the group abruptly gets more intense—taking Sufyan and other boys away from their families, teaching them how to shoot guns—Sufyan realizes his brother is right. But is it too late for Sufyan to get out of this?

It’s left to the bookish Oscar to rescue his brother and reunite his family. He will have to take charge and be brave in ways he has never dared to before.

💭 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: Wild Poppies is a heartbreaking story of war, family, turmoil, and growing up too soon. It's a middle grade novel, but can be appreciated by older readers as well. It never felt juvenile. Instead, it was insightful, emotional, and taught me a lot about the Syrian experience as it pertains to the Syrian War. This is one of my favorite things about reading -- getting to see the world through someone else's eyes.

The content is heavy, but Saleh delivers it in a way that makes it approachable for young readers. The audiobook narrator, Amin El Gamal, performs this book flawlessly! He was perfectly cast for this role. 👏🏻

This is an important book, especially for those of us in the west who aren't privy to the turmoil going on in other parts of the world. It's crucial that we escape our bubbles and hear these stories. Wild Poppies is fiction - but children like Oscar and Sufyan exist.
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In Haya Saleh's Wild Poppies, we follow two Syrian refugee brothers, Omar and Sufyan, living in a refugee camp during the midst of the Syrian war. When the boys' father was killed, 14 year old Omar was left in charge as "the man of the house," however he finds himself at constant odds with his little brother Sufyan, who finds Omar to be weak and sensitive, not worthy or capable of protecting the family. Determined to help take care of his sick mother and little sister and finding Omar insufficient at doing so, Sufyan finds himself tricked into joining The Falcons of Truth, a violent extremist military group who steal little boys from their homes and brainwash them into fighting for their cause. Meanwhile, when their refugee camp is bombed, Omar manages to escape with two other teenagers. From there, the story bounces back and forth between the two boys on their journey to find their way back to each other. A heartbreaking, harrowing story of survival, the violent realities of war, and what it's like living under an oppressive regime. Just under 200 pages and with the audiobook about 4 hours long, this is a short, yet impactful read, that can be completed in one sitting or one afternoon. Despite the heavy topics discussed, I think this would be a great middle school read for 7th or 8th graders to learn about the realities of war and the affects they can have on children and families. It was a tiny bit rushed towards the end, but I was still left feeling devastated for what these children went through. It's hard to imagine that this story could be real, but it is and it happens every day to families and children in many parts of the world overtaken by religious extremists. This story will stay with me. 4 stars

This is a heartbreaking tale of surviving the ongoing civil war in Syria told through a single family. As fighting breaks out, one brother is enticed to join a group of local men who kidnap him and force him to be a child soldier. At the same time the other brother is separated from his family by a bombing campaign on their village. The book follows the brother’s attempts to find each other and escape the violence. There is a tear jerking happy ending, which feels a little forced, but is still a relief after all of the pain of the earlier story. This is written from the POV of the brothers, and as such does not analyze the situations these boys find themselves in beyond what a child would know. 

I wonder what this book would read like in its original language. I think the translation could be somewhat lacking, as the story is powerful, but the writing is not. It’s still a solid story.

Following two Syrian brothers experiencing the Syrian war through two different sets of eyes. Great writing (translation). This quick read with simple words painted just enough of a graphic/violent picture without being too much for a middle grade audience. I think this book can be used as an amazing, eye-opening, learning tool. Amin El Gamal did a wonderful job narrating.

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media, Recorded Books for the arc.

Since Omar’s Baba was murdered he has tried to make the best of his new life in the country living in his aunts house with multiple extended family members his mom his brother Sufyan and little sister Thrya. There’s even a girl named Selma who has a crush on him. Omar is ill equipped to be the man of a family in the middle of a war torn country but he does his best or at least what he thinks is his best but when his brother Safaian leaves and doesn’t come back he fears the worst. After the local tell risk group takes over their village and implements new rules he doesn’t see Selma as much but one day being tired of staying at home she goes to find Omar because she remembered a clue as to wear a safari has gone. This little quick trip will ultimately take them far from home because when they get to the tree where is the fine left a clue to his whereabouts bombs go off and when he calls his mom on someone’s phone to tell him to run away they’re taking the boys for soldiers and the girls for spoils of war she says if you come back you will all be lost . This will show Omar he is much stronger and more capable than he initially thought and may even bring his family back together. I love this book it is a short listen but it is thought-provoking heartwarming horrific nightmarish but also worth listening to because all I kept thinking while listening to this book is this really is someone’s life and it makes the things people gripe about in first world countries look ridiculous. This really is a great book and what I absolutely loved and I thought the narrator did a great job with his character distinction and setting the tone for such a great but at times horrible situation to BN I received this book from NetGalley and a publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Firstly, I have to thank NetGalley for providing me an audiobook copy of this book for me to review.
This story was sweet, harsh, saddening, and hopeful. It was incredibly true, well-written, and executed.
I loved the author's writing style, and the narrator ability to take you to Syria, just with the power of their voice.
I related so much to the protagonist, he is a bookworm, and a writer, just like me.
The author's words take you there, you feel like you're seeing what the characters see, and you're feeling all of their feelings. I cried, smiled and hoped for their bettering.
They get a happy end, that is beautiful.
It is a five-star read for me, and I'd urge everybody to get their physical copy as soon as the book will be available at bookshops.

One of my lifetime favourite pieces of literature from now on.

This is a quick but impactful read following two brothers trying to unite after being separated by the Syrian War. I think it was very successful in being heartbreaking without sensationalizing the story. It covers heavy topics in a fantastic way for middle grade readers. I would highly recommend it!

Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

This story takes place during the Syrian War (2011 to present). This story is also about 2 brothers, one trying to be the head of the family and one bookish smart. This was a sometimes devastating book.

Many thanks to Net Galley and RB Media for an audiobook copy for an honest review.