Without Refuge

by Jane Mitchell

Overview

Thirteen-year-old Ghalib wishes his life could go back to normal. He wishes he could still hang out at the market with his friends, root for his favorite soccer team, even go to school. But civil war has destroyed his home.

As violence rages around them, his family makes the difficult choice to flee Syria. Together they start out on a dangerous journey toward Europe. Along the way, they encounter closely guarded borders, hardscrabble refugee camps, and an ocean crossing that they may not survive.

The gripping story of one boy's journey to find refuge pays tribute to struggles millions of Syrians face in today's real-world crisis.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541517301
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/01/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	292
Lexile:	610L (what's this?)
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	9 - 13 Years

About the Author

Jane Mitchell is an award-winning author of books for children and young people. Her novel Chalkline was endorsed by Amnesty International Ireland for contributing to a better understanding of human rights. She lives in Ireland.

Editorial Reviews

"Mitchell takes on a sensitive topic with empathy and compassion. . . . A great introduction into learning about a highly relevant humanitarian refugee crisis."—Booklist

From the Publisher

2018-03-05
After narrowly surviving an airstrike, Ghalib suddenly finds himself being forced to join the Kurdish Protection Units or else risk his life fleeing to Europe.Ghalib wanted nothing more than to become a pharmacist like his father. Instead, he spends his days dodging barrel bombs and missiles. The city of Kobani, where Ghalib lives with his family, is constantly under attack, leaving little left of the once-vibrant hub of Kurdish life. Ghalib refuses to be another soldier in the Syrian war, so instead he and his family embark on a harrowing journey to escape what was once their home. The arduous path to safety crosses through dangerous Islamic State-held territory and the Turkish border, where only steadfast courage and exceptional luck can get travelers out alive. Along the way, Ghalib will find himself separated and alone, searching for any sign of home among the thousands of refugees fleeing for their lives. Through everything, one question continues to linger in the back of Ghalib's mind: Will Europe let us in? Writing in Ghalib's present-tense voice, Mitchell pens a vivid narrative of the displacement, loss, and sheer bravery of Syrian children traversing land and sea, surviving bullets, bombs, and the tumultuous Mediterranean to begin a new life. While this part of the story excels, Mitchell glosses over the humanitarian crimes of all of the warring parties in Syria, emphasizing those of the Islamic State over the Syrian government's, which leads readers new to the subject to believe that the main perpetrators of violence are Islamist groups.Read for the sympathetic portrayal of Syrian refugees, but look elsewhere for geopolitical nuance. (Fiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews