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angelariley03's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book about a girl trying to escape from Syria. I liked NH Senzai's other book Shooting Kabul but this is even better. Lots of action and drama. I think my students will really like it. A lot read Refugee and this book is kinda similar. Action packed but my only concern is that there is a lot of foreign terms and concepts that might be difficult to understand.
booksfortea's review
5.0
I wanna read this.
I usually never give ratings before reading. But how the hell does this have such a bad rating when it's not even out? There's zero reasons for this 🙄
I usually never give ratings before reading. But how the hell does this have such a bad rating when it's not even out? There's zero reasons for this 🙄
wanderingcurls's review
4.0
Escape from Aleppo follows Nadia, a once ordinary and materialistic teenage girl whose life changes forever in 2010 when a bombing in Tunisia sparks a revolution and civil unrest around the Middle East. Eventually this revolution reaches Syria and causes Nadia’s family to flee the only home she has ever known. The story shifts between 2010, 2011, 2012, and Nadia’s present in 2013, which can be confusing at times, but ultimately gave me a better understanding of how the situation in Syria deteriorated so quickly and how Nadia’s family was impacted by this. Overall, a very important book which sheds light on current events and the plight of Syrian refugees.
jessicaaaaaaa's review
Escape from Aleppo is a middle grade novel by N.H. Senzai about one girl’s escape from the Syrian city of Aleppo when fighting reaches the city.
The novel opens with Nadia being awoken in the early morning; her family are finally leaving the city for good. She hasn't left her house since she was injured by shrapnel from a barmeela that exploded nearby while she was on line for bread. As Nadia hesitates before exiting the building, a bomb goes off, separating her from the rest of her family. They reluctantly move on, and she spends the rest of the novel trying to make her way through the city to the Turkish border where her father is waiting for her.
Nadia makes friends along the way, and the travelers move in a group, avoiding fighters and officials of all kinds--there are Assad’s secret police (mukhabarat) and the shabiha; there are countless rebel groups; and there are a scary new rebel group that flies black flags and persecutes groups that don’t follow their brand of Islam.
What this book does beautifully is show how regular Syrians like Nadia are caught between the all the factions that are fighting. And while the “rebels” (who oppose Assad's government) are technically a friendly group for Nadia, there are so many rebel groups by the time of the novel’s action that no one knows who to trust.
The majority of the novel takes place in 2013 during Nadia’s escape. It is action-packed, describing Nadia and her companions’ movements from place to place—who and what they see along the way, what they eat, where they sleep, and how far they walk. There are also chapters that flashback to the time before the war, beginning at Nadia’s birthday in 2010, which also coincides with the beginning of the Arab Spring in Tunisia. These flashbacks then move forward in time, providing glimpses of how life changed as the war began in Syria and the situation deteriorated.
Something this book does wonderfully is discuss issues like religious difference, Assad’s authoritarian regime, and colonialism. For example, there is a balanced explanation of the Syrian Alawites, describing what they believe, how they were persecuted, and how that experience of persecution affected their own policies when Assad (an Alawite) came into power.
There is a sense running throughout the book that this war came from the outside, that’s Syria’s people were living in multicultural and religious harmony until outsiders started fighting in a bid for power. They are outsiders in the sense that the original ISIS fighters were actually foreigners and also in the sense that they do not represent what Syrians want for their country.
This book is hard-hitting. Nadia experiences real fear as she moves through the streets slowly, peeking around corners and proceeding cautiously. She fears several different groups all at once; everyone and anyone could be dangerous.
Something that I felt could have been improved in this novel was the pacing during the escape and the balance between the past and present. I felt like the present-day escape scenes were dragging on, and I would have appreciated more of Nadia in the past. We don’t know very much about Nadia except that she really likes music and was injured in the leg. I would have preferred more of a balance here. Even something as simple as seeing her with a friend pre-conflict and then wondering about that friend later would have made a big difference.
I highly recommend this book for all middle grade readers. It puts a face to one of the many conflicts going on on the other side of the world. This book is also tame enough that I'm interested in reading it to my six- and eight-year-old. I think this story will be accessible for them and a good way for them to learn about the conflict through a guided reading experience.
This review was originally posted here, where I review other Muslim reads.
The novel opens with Nadia being awoken in the early morning; her family are finally leaving the city for good. She hasn't left her house since she was injured by shrapnel from a barmeela that exploded nearby while she was on line for bread. As Nadia hesitates before exiting the building, a bomb goes off, separating her from the rest of her family. They reluctantly move on, and she spends the rest of the novel trying to make her way through the city to the Turkish border where her father is waiting for her.
Nadia makes friends along the way, and the travelers move in a group, avoiding fighters and officials of all kinds--there are Assad’s secret police (mukhabarat) and the shabiha; there are countless rebel groups; and there are a scary new rebel group that flies black flags and persecutes groups that don’t follow their brand of Islam.
What this book does beautifully is show how regular Syrians like Nadia are caught between the all the factions that are fighting. And while the “rebels” (who oppose Assad's government) are technically a friendly group for Nadia, there are so many rebel groups by the time of the novel’s action that no one knows who to trust.
The majority of the novel takes place in 2013 during Nadia’s escape. It is action-packed, describing Nadia and her companions’ movements from place to place—who and what they see along the way, what they eat, where they sleep, and how far they walk. There are also chapters that flashback to the time before the war, beginning at Nadia’s birthday in 2010, which also coincides with the beginning of the Arab Spring in Tunisia. These flashbacks then move forward in time, providing glimpses of how life changed as the war began in Syria and the situation deteriorated.
Something this book does wonderfully is discuss issues like religious difference, Assad’s authoritarian regime, and colonialism. For example, there is a balanced explanation of the Syrian Alawites, describing what they believe, how they were persecuted, and how that experience of persecution affected their own policies when Assad (an Alawite) came into power.
There is a sense running throughout the book that this war came from the outside, that’s Syria’s people were living in multicultural and religious harmony until outsiders started fighting in a bid for power. They are outsiders in the sense that the original ISIS fighters were actually foreigners and also in the sense that they do not represent what Syrians want for their country.
. . . and we Syrians die, caught between outsiders and Assad . . .
This book is hard-hitting. Nadia experiences real fear as she moves through the streets slowly, peeking around corners and proceeding cautiously. She fears several different groups all at once; everyone and anyone could be dangerous.
Something that I felt could have been improved in this novel was the pacing during the escape and the balance between the past and present. I felt like the present-day escape scenes were dragging on, and I would have appreciated more of Nadia in the past. We don’t know very much about Nadia except that she really likes music and was injured in the leg. I would have preferred more of a balance here. Even something as simple as seeing her with a friend pre-conflict and then wondering about that friend later would have made a big difference.
I highly recommend this book for all middle grade readers. It puts a face to one of the many conflicts going on on the other side of the world. This book is also tame enough that I'm interested in reading it to my six- and eight-year-old. I think this story will be accessible for them and a good way for them to learn about the conflict through a guided reading experience.
This review was originally posted here, where I review other Muslim reads.
caseyjoreads's review
5.0
I really appreciate how actual people and events frame this fictional story that manages to dance that lovely mix of specific and universal. I usually get lost in books that jump in time, but here I did not. Again, there is artistry in making things seem simple and how they should, of course, be.
Vague spoiler on ending:
Vague spoiler on ending:
Spoiler
A happy-enough ending makes for a book that can comfortably be put into the hands of most middle grade readers.profejmarie's review
5.0
Moving story that really does a great job of encapsulating the many intricacies of the war going on in Syria. Heartbreaking and yet optimistic in witnessing each character's resilience. If you have someone in your life who might need a nudge for developing empathy for what is going on for Syrian refugees, this book is a great choice.
booknrrd's review
3.0
A young girl gets separated from her family as they try to escape from Aleppo during the Syrian Civil War.
This did a pretty good job trying to explain the Syrian war to readers and all the different groups involved and how the war started. Unfortunately I felt like it took away from the story and the characters.
This did a pretty good job trying to explain the Syrian war to readers and all the different groups involved and how the war started. Unfortunately I felt like it took away from the story and the characters.
krammedshelf's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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? No
5.0
lei_reads's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Violence
Minor: Abandonment
bmwpalmer's review
4.0
A bit over earnest, but endearingly so. This book overcomes a common hurdle of Kid Going Through Hardship in Foreign Land stories, in that it successfully shows how such kids are really just like you. You! The kid (or person) reading this book! Really. There is a lot of detail about Aleppo and Syria in this book and while at times it was a little heavy-handed, it really brings the story to life. At first, I worried the story would be too ham-fistedly anti-Assad (I mean, he IS the bad guy, but it's complicated, but it's also a children's book, so how deep do you go, etc.), but in the end there was more nuance represented in the supporting characters. I think a kid could read this book and understand how war is more gray than black and white, especially for families just trying to survive.
There is a pretty cool Ayman Mohyeldin cameo in this book, by the way!
There is a pretty cool Ayman Mohyeldin cameo in this book, by the way!