Refugee by Alan Gratz

Three different kids. Three times and places in the world. One mission in common. Escape

Osef is a Jewish boy living in 1930”s Nazi Germany.  With their traumatized father recently released from a camp, the family sets sail bound for Cuba. The fate of that ship is a fact of history  and a heart wrenching story of the choices that people must make in war times.

Isabel is a Cuban girl living during the riots and government repression of 1994. With her pregnant mother and family, they join another family on a leaky raft, hoping to find safety in America.  Facing drowning and sharks, they brave stormy  seas.

Mamoud is a Syrian boy in 2015.  His homeland is torn apart by violence and when the family’s apartment is bombed, they flee.  They face military violence, betrayal, near drowning and separation as they make their way to Europe.

All these families faced unimaginable dangers as well as hope for a better life.  Although separated by  decades and geography, unbelievable connections will tie their stories together.
This is an action-packed moving story that puts you in the heart of three actual happenings in the past and present.  The topics are both timely and timeless: courage, survival and the journey to find home.


Tessa's Picks, 5th-8th grade, Historical Fiction, Adventure, People of Color, Issues fiction, Social justice

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