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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Juvenile fiction about an 8-year-old preparing to move from Muscat, Oman to Ann Arbor, Michigan with his family. I picked this up as a bedtime book after the one I was reading made me cry, and I really enjoyed it. It reminded me a lot of her other books in feel, and it was cool to see some of the same themes tackled for a younger audience. (And I loved the relationship between Aref and his grandfather, as well as how perfectly 8 Aref seemed.) It also reminded me that there are so many countries I know very little about--and I'd like to change that!
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this book made me happy, it's so sweet and wholesome
Though the story wasn't as dynamic as I hoped it could be, it was a really nice tale of coping with imminent upheaval in a child's life. I particularly liked the grandfather as well as the overall atmosphere of the book. I need to visit Muscat sometime.
Audio note: it was --really weird-- to have the same reader for this as The Shining Girls. It took me a while to really separate this narrative from that of a gruesome serial killer tale.
Audio note: it was --really weird-- to have the same reader for this as The Shining Girls. It took me a while to really separate this narrative from that of a gruesome serial killer tale.
Not a book for me. Interesting to learn about another culture? Yes. Moving away/homesickness--these are issues that kids can absolutely connect with. But it just wasn't a book for me. Life is too short to waste it on books that aren't for you--I will confess to not reading this in its entirety (I did give it a fair chance--read 100+ pages and read the last couple chapters). Will others like, enjoy, even love this book? I'm sure they will...I just wasn't one of them.
emotional
informative
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
adventurous
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This isn't a book that will have wide student reader appeal, but that doesn't mean it isn't a beautifully written book.
Great representation - I now want to go to Oman when I previously knew nothing about it.
Originally posted here at In the Senter of it All
Genre: Realistic
AR level: 4.6
Grade appropriate: 2nd and up
This book was nothing that I was expecting. When I read a summary that said this book was about a boy from the middle east who is moving to Michigan, I was expecting a boy from the slums in a war-torn country who fights his way to America. I was blown away by how similar Aref’s life is to a very typical American kid. He goes to school, collects rocks, hangs out with his grandfather, and doesn’t want to leave the country and city that are dear to his heart. I recommend this book to anyone who is proud of where they live and sees the adventure of moving to a new place daunting!
RATING BREAKDOWN:
Overall: 5/5-- Great book that broadened my view of the “middle east.”
Creativity: 5/5
Characters: 5/5-- My favorite was Sidi, Aref’s grandfather. I want to go hang out with him too!
Engrossing: 5/5-- very quick read.
Writing: 5/5-- Loved how simply this book was written. The Arabic thrown in here and there make it a little more difficult, but mostly it is an easy, light read.
Appeal to kids: 5/5-- I think once we can get them reading it they’ll love it. The synopsis doesn’t really draw them in.
Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5
CONTENT:
Language: none
Sexuality: none
Violence: none
Drugs/Alcohol: none
Genre: Realistic
AR level: 4.6
Grade appropriate: 2nd and up
This book was nothing that I was expecting. When I read a summary that said this book was about a boy from the middle east who is moving to Michigan, I was expecting a boy from the slums in a war-torn country who fights his way to America. I was blown away by how similar Aref’s life is to a very typical American kid. He goes to school, collects rocks, hangs out with his grandfather, and doesn’t want to leave the country and city that are dear to his heart. I recommend this book to anyone who is proud of where they live and sees the adventure of moving to a new place daunting!
RATING BREAKDOWN:
Overall: 5/5-- Great book that broadened my view of the “middle east.”
Creativity: 5/5
Characters: 5/5-- My favorite was Sidi, Aref’s grandfather. I want to go hang out with him too!
Engrossing: 5/5-- very quick read.
Writing: 5/5-- Loved how simply this book was written. The Arabic thrown in here and there make it a little more difficult, but mostly it is an easy, light read.
Appeal to kids: 5/5-- I think once we can get them reading it they’ll love it. The synopsis doesn’t really draw them in.
Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5
CONTENT:
Language: none
Sexuality: none
Violence: none
Drugs/Alcohol: none