Refugee

by Alan Gratz

Scott County Library hardcover 317 pages plus author's notes, maps, and acknowledgements

Published: 2017

Genre: YA historical fiction

I like this author, but this book was a little too busy for me. We followed three main characters' stories: Josef, a Jewish boy leaving Berlin in 1938 to go to Cuba; Isabel, a girl trying to leave Cuba in 1994; and Mahmoud, an Islamic boy trying to leave Syria in 2015.

The author made each child's story interesting and even connected the threads well. I just didn't "get into" the book for any sustained reading. I usually read a YA book in one or two sittings! This took me a few weeks. 

(Isabel) Page 83: "Lito was giving her piropos, the flirtatious compliments Cuban men said to women on the street. Not everyone did it anymore, but to Lito it was like an art form."

Isabel's grandpa (Lito) is lucky that Amara laughed at his flattery. I think it's interesting that there's a word for this in Cuban!

(Mahmoud) Page 192: "Mahmoud cried in exhaustion and misery. He wanted to do it all over again. He wanted to go back and stand up for the boy in the alley in Aleppo who was getting beaten up for his bread. To scream and yell and wake the sleeping citizens of Izmir so they would see him ad all the other people sleeping in doorways and parks. . . . "

The depth of sorrow that these children face while just trying to stay with their families and live life is unbelievable. A lot of middle school students really like Gratz' books. It would be great if they gained some empathy in reading about kids their age having to deal with civil war and strife.

(Isabel) Page 226: "But as she watched Lito and Papi lift up Ivan's body, the empty place inside got bigger and bigger, until she was more empty than full. She wished she was dead too."

I like that the author doesn't shy away from some of the tougher experiences and emotions of life. This part made me so sad!

(Mahmoud) Page 249: "He'd had a gun pointed right at his face. As long as he lived, Mahmoud would never forget that feeling of paralyzing terror, of powerlessness."

I hate that evil people prey upon weak people. I hate that people all over the world are threatened and sometimes killed by others who just want to take without regard for other humans.

(Isabel) Page 278: "'Don't worry about me, Chabela! If there's one thing I'm good at, it's treading water,' Lito yelled back. 'Now, row! Mañana is yours, my beautiful songbird. Go to Miami and be free!'"

 

I love that her grandpa sacrificed himself to the Coast Guard and a return to Cuba so that the rest of the family could reach the beach. I love that he was the same policeman back in the 1930s who had told Josef's family that they would be able to get off in Cuba "Mañana, Mañana," though they were sent back to Europe. 

 

(Mahmoud) Page 281: "And that was the real truth of it, wasn't it? Whether you were visible or invisible, it was all about how other people reacted to you. Good and bad things happened either way. If you were invisible, the bad people couldn't hurt you, that was true. But the good people couldn't help you, either."

I like some of Mahmoud's choices and observations.

The author's notes had a lot of info about his research and links for donating to Unicef and Save the Children. I love that he has committed to donating a portion of the proceeds on book sales to Unicef. Very cool.

Project 1065

by: Alan Gratz

Scott County Library hardcover 303 pages plus author's note

Published: 2016

Genre: YA historical fiction

I read this for two reasons: Gratz books are popular with middle schoolers and I hadn't read one yet AND a class I was subbing in had three historical novels being read and discussed. (A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielsen, Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, and this one.) It's interesting that two are WWII era and one is Cold War . . . not sure how the teacher addressed that with the class.

I have LOTS of post-it notes and not much time, so I may summarize. I found this book interesting but hard to believe. Michael O'Shaunessey is the son of the Irish ambassador to Germany. Stationed in Berlin, he participates in the Hitler Youth so that he can work as a spy for the Allies. Another boy, Fritz, shares that his dad is working on a secret jet plane "Projekt 1065" and Michael is determined to get the plans to the Allies. (Note: he has a photographic memory and an excellent grasp of German.)

Page 41: "'Compassion is a weakness,' Horst said for the benefit of me and anyone else in our squad who might not like bullies picking on little kids."

Bullies are part of life, but Nazi Germany really allowed them to thrive. How terrifying to have people like this in charge. 

Page 41: "I rose up on an elbow, my Irish blood thundering war drums in my ears, ready to knock Horst's donkey teeth down his throat."

One of my favorite parts of the book was when Michael and a rescued British pilot told jokes and made comments about their cultures and countries. The Irish / English / Scottish humor was amusing. But probably also very stereotyping. I did learn that Ireland stayed neutral during WWII. I love when I learn something new from a novel!

Page 53: "Because that's what Nazi Germany was: the bully who found your most painful wound and poked at it with a stick."

Again with the bullying theme. I wonder if the author was thinking of his middle school readers and the importance of taking a stand against bullying.

Page 92: "There was a haunted look in Simon's eyes now, and I knew he wasn't joking. About any of it. It sounded silly to be afraid of birds, but a real fear, a real phobia, was a serious thing. People without one couldn't understand."

I like that Simon helped Michael overcome his fear of heights (or at least find ways to cope) and that he shared his fear. The compassion and friendship they had was a wonderful part of this book.

Page 103 and 176 . . . the scenes with their "Herr Professor Doktor Major Melcher" were powerful. The theme of life and whose life is most worth saving ran throughout the book. Wow. I should put a screen shot of page 176 here, but I'll just put some excerpts.

"Again I saw myself four years ago, on the Night of Broken Glass. But now I saw it through new eyes - the eyes of my parents. Saw the awful trade: one man's life against the fate of the entire world. My heart ached, as if it were slowly eating me up from inside."

"Sometimes we have to sacrifice good people to win a war, Simon had told me. Sometimes you do what you have to do, even if doing it means doing something wrong."

"Instead, I said nothing. I locked my heart away in a wee iron coffin and swallowed the key. It burned going down and tears stung my eyes, but still I said nothing."

Page 296: "It was a world war, and the fate of every nation on Earth, neutral or not, lay in the balance. When the war was over, the world would be ruled one way, or the other - by freedom or fascism, by hope or by fear. I had seen the depths, the lengths, the Nazis would go to win that war, sacrificing their own children to the cause, and I also knew first-hand the sacrifices the Allies had made to stop them."

 

I will definitely read more Gratz books next school year while subbing. I love that authors can make historical fiction so accessible to young people!