Tag: Young Adult fiction

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Refugee by Alan Gratz

 

Refugee is a book about three families searching for a new home. It is appropriate for older teens as it has mature themes.

Synopsis

Three kids travel to find refuge…

JOSEF is a Jewish boy living in 1930s Nazi Germany. After his father is released from a concentration camp his family must board a ship to flee to the other side of the world…

ISABEL is a Cuban girl in 1994. With riots and unrest plaguing her country, she and her family set out on a raft, hoping to find safety in America . . .

MAHMOUD is a Syrian boy in 2015. With his homeland torn apart by violence and destruction, he and his family begin a long trek toward Europe . . .

They all face terror and death but they believe that there is something better out there. A place where they can live in peace. And although these children are separated by continents and time their stories of hope are bound together.

Pros:

  • amazing stories that show the humanity behind the word “refugee”.
  • well paced, riveting book that kept me turning the pages.
  • had many historical details in it which is good for students to discuss.
  • each one of the three voices are unique.

Cons:

  • traumatic experiences are had by all the children and may be hard for the more sensitive reader.
  • the story jumps between three points of view which some people may find annoying.

Conclusion:

Honestly, I would recommend this book to everyone. It really helped me see past the generic term “refugee” and acknowledge the people/victims behind this very real crisis. Although this is a piece of fiction the author has remained true to the historical catalysts that set each of the great voyages in motion. Although at some points in time it is hard to read it is a story of hope and it really blessed me.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Did this book change your idea about what a refugee is? Why or why not?
  2. Many people in both the Canada and the US have refugees in their family tree. Talk to your family/friend and find out more about their trip to find a new home.
  3. Brainstorm some ways that we can help refugees as they travel and when they arrive to their new homes.
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Julie by Catherine Marshall

Catherine Marshall is famous for her novel Christie. I don’t want to review it here because it has won so many awards I have to believe everyone who reads Scriblerians is fully aware of the beautiful story. A true classic.

But are all of you aware of her other novel? Julie? She only wrote two, and Julie was published after her death.

Based on events in Catherine’s young womanhood, Julie Wallace is the eighteen-year-old daughter of a pastor who has left his position to become a newspaper publisher in a small, steel-working town during the Depression years of 1934-35. The challenges that follow in their new life also force Julie to evaluate her understanding of God. As tempers rise within the town and as danger approaches, Julie will discover just how strong her faith is–or is not.

Pros

  1. Julie makes for a great YA read. While conflicts abound, Catherine Marshall makes sure the story is wholesome.
  2. The best realistic fiction places readers so deeply in the story they feel they “are there.” Julie, like Christie, does that.
  3. The message of faith and family as most important runs through the entire novel.
  4. Pastor Wallace’s deep faith provides an excellent balance to Julie’s questions regarding her own.
  5. The details in the flood scene are amazing! Based on the Johnstown Flood of 1889, Marshall uses her research to create a similar flood from a dam break. Those details remain vivid in my memory thirty years after reading the book!

Cons

  1. Many readers don’t like the love triangle. I don’t have a problem with it. It’s a secondary plot to moral questions regarding the greed of steel mill owners versus the downtrodden union organizers. Besides, competing suitors do arise in real life. Julie is not mature enough to handle the situation perfectly, which is why the book is so realistic and why readers identify so well with Marshall’s characters.

Discussion Questions

  1. Julie always wanted to be a writer so she is thrilled to have a job with her father at the newspaper. What would be the perfect job for you?
  2. With the problems between the steelworkers and the mill owners getting worse, Julie and her father had to make some difficult decisions as to what was the right thing to do as they wrote for the newspaper. What would you do if powerful people tried to stop you from doing what you knew was right?
  3. Terrible things happened during the flood. And wonderful, heroic actions happened, too. What do you think you will remember most about the flood?

 

The setting of the newspaper business in a town struggling with union issues provides fodder for much family discussion on ethics and morality. Talking about your family’s value system and how it relates to the world is one of the most precious teaching opportunities you can provide for your children. Julie is one tool you can use in those discussions.

 

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Firebrand by Sarah MacTavish

Firebrand by Sarah MacTavish is a historical fiction novel about slavery that is recommended for young adults and adults (8th grade and up).

Synopsis:

Saoirse buried her older brother the day after they arrived in Texas. She blames herself for his death and so does her family. The only ones left who speak kindly to her are her cousin, Jack, and Abigail, the family’s loyal slave.

Saoirse and Jack want to free Abigail, but anti-slavery views are dangerous, especially after a series of fires destroys half the town. The slaves are suspected of plotting an insurrection.

Saoirse is determined to find out who actually started the fires, but every question puts her and her family in further danger.

Westleigh lives in the relative comfort and safety of Dove Hollow, Pennsylvania. His anti-slavery views, though not always popular with the people in town, are not a danger to him. That is, until he and his adoptive father take in a freedman as a favor. Westleigh overhears a conversation between his father and a long-time friend that makes him question what he knows about his past.

Pros:

  • I could not put this book down from the moment I cracked it open. Sarah MacTavish has a captivating writing style that pulls you into the characters’ journeys and lets you experience their heartbreak, joy, love, confusion, and desperation.
  • The fires mentioned in the book were a real event in North Texas that incited “The Texas Panic of 1860”. I live in the Dallas area and had never heard of this before, so it was interesting to learn a new piece of my local history.
  • Though not explicitly “Christian fiction,” the Bible is quoted throughout the book, and there are strong Christian themes of redemption and true freedom. Abigail and Jack have a strong faith and attend a secret church service at night with slaves in the area.
  • Jack and Abigail show love to Saoirse when she is rejected by her family.
  • Saoirse has a strong sense of justice and stands up for the right even when it puts her in danger.
  • Deep, well-developed characters and character journeys. All characters had depth and layers, including the ones I hated, and the ones I wanted to hate. Westleigh, who at first was rather unimpressive to me, made me change my opinion of him in Chapter 17. I love when characters surprise me!

Cons:

  • There is some minor language in this book, including “d—” and “h—” and derogatory language toward slaves.
  • A few disturbing scenes of slaves being sold in an auction and being beaten by their masters.
  • A girl is slapped across the face by her brother.
  • References are made to an infidelity and abuse.
  • This is the first book in a series (a little detail I did not realize until halfway through the book), and it ends on somewhat of a cliffhanger. Book 2 is not out yet.

Overall:

This is a fantastic story dealing with anger, guilt, and broken people searching for forgiveness. It handles the harsh realities of slavery in pre-Civil War United States with respect and fairness, without glorifying or dwelling on the ugly details.

The book forces the reader to ask the question, “What would I do in the face of injustice?” Recommended for young adults and adults (8th grade and up), especially those who love historical fiction, suspense-filled plots, and complex characters.