I've had this book on my to-read list since last year--I'm glad I finally got around to reading it this past week:
Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga is a beautifully written realistic fiction novel-in-verse. Warga introduces us to Jude, the main character and voice of the story, while she is still living in her hometown in Syria. Conflicting revolutionary forces are bringing chaos, destruction, and death closer and closer to home; Jude's older brother, Issa, is also involved in the protests. Jude's parents decide that to keep Jude and her mother safe, a trip to America to visit her mother's brother is in order. That trip turns into a prolonged stay...and now Jude must learn to adapt to American culture, in her uncle's home as well as in her middle school.
If I were doing book clubs in the classroom, I would compare and contrast Other Words for Home with the family escaping from Syria in Alan Gratz's Refugee. The story has a lot of windows and mirrors themes and details: political activism; separation from loved ones; misunderstood cultural practices; rites of passage; hateful xenophobia; English language learners; and finding your voice, passion, and circle of friends.
It's Monday, and a realistic fiction, novel-in-verse (that is also a Newbery Honor book!) is a perfect genre for me right now. What genre have you been interested in lately?
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