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4.47 AVERAGE
4.47 AVERAGE
It has been a while since I've read a middle grade novel and this one was so very good. This is a beautifully written novel, in verse, about a young girl's move from Syria to America.
A quick read - this is sort of a middle grade book written in verse about Jude's experience immigrating to US. She has to leave half her family behind while trying to fit in and find a way of belonging in a foreign country, dealing with exclusion and racism and xenophobia in schools. She's trapped between two identities, like a lot of the relatives she meets in the States.
This was very easy to read and I felt like the author really captured the voice of a young girl who's trying to belong. I liked the characterizations of the side characters and I loved the connections she formed. Overall, a really enjoyable read.
This was very easy to read and I felt like the author really captured the voice of a young girl who's trying to belong. I liked the characterizations of the side characters and I loved the connections she formed. Overall, a really enjoyable read.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This has been on my TBR pile and then on my nightstand for a while. YA fiction of a young Syrian girl and her mom who immigrate to the U.S. as the war in Syria became too dangerous for them to stay.
They left their dad and brother behind. Really well-written story that portrays a Muslim, immigrant girl as a regular old girl who just wants to live her life and not someone who is scary, dangerous, or “stealing jobs.” Timely and important read.
They left their dad and brother behind. Really well-written story that portrays a Muslim, immigrant girl as a regular old girl who just wants to live her life and not someone who is scary, dangerous, or “stealing jobs.” Timely and important read.
inspiring
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia
Minor: Violence, War
A beautiful middle grade novel in verse about a girl from Syria settling into a new home in the States. The story is lyrical and heartfelt and does an excellent job of sharing the thoughts and feelings of a young girl as she tries to figure out how home can be two entirely different places.
Other Words for Home is a great book to hand to middle grade students who enjoying reading novels in verse, stories about immigration, and strong family bonds.
Read alikes:
Refugee
Nowhere Boy
Amina's Voice
Inside Out & Back Again
Questions to ask:
What song strongly reminds Jude of home?
I Will Always Love you
What musical does Jude try out for?
Beauty and the Beast
What food does Jude say she would eat a hundred nights in a row and still be happy?
pizza
What does Miles usually have on his shirts?
space
What is the name of Miles' dog?
Sputnik
Read alikes:
Refugee
Nowhere Boy
Amina's Voice
Inside Out & Back Again
Questions to ask:
What song strongly reminds Jude of home?
I Will Always Love you
What musical does Jude try out for?
Beauty and the Beast
What food does Jude say she would eat a hundred nights in a row and still be happy?
pizza
What does Miles usually have on his shirts?
space
What is the name of Miles' dog?
Sputnik
An enjoyable one
This book is written with poem-like style and it's soooo beautiful. The fact that this is written from Jude's perspective, which is a middle grade kid, makes this book have that simple vibe yet there are so many lines that will surely touch your deepest heart.
The aching feeling is also there since this book is about a refugee during war. What war did to families. Also the journey of Jude finding another meaning of home in America, her uncle's house, school, and friends is beautiful and heartwarming.
There's this particular scene that I love the most. It shows how Jude being proud of who she is: a muslim
This book is written with poem-like style and it's soooo beautiful. The fact that this is written from Jude's perspective, which is a middle grade kid, makes this book have that simple vibe yet there are so many lines that will surely touch your deepest heart.
The aching feeling is also there since this book is about a refugee during war. What war did to families. Also the journey of Jude finding another meaning of home in America, her uncle's house, school, and friends is beautiful and heartwarming.
There's this particular scene that I love the most. It shows how Jude being proud of who she is: a muslim
“That thing that also makes me angry, as angry as it makes them. I want women like Aunt Michelle to understand that it is not only women who look like them who are free who think and care about other women. That it is possible for two things to look similar but be completely different. That I cover my head like other strong respected women have done before me, like Malala Yousafzai like Kariman Abuljadayel like my mama. That I cover my head not because I am ashamed forced or hiding. But because I am proud and want to seen as I am.”
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated