This intriguing novel by Alan Gratz follows three young refugees and their fight to flee for their safety. The three refugees, Josef, Isabel and Mahmoud's stories are separated by time and locations but surprisingly intertwined. It is a a page turner that keeps your attention by going between the three refugees. All three of them face unfathomable events in their journey to find refuge and their new home and hopefully, somewhere where they will finally be safe. ( )

Representation: Latina and Syrian main characters
Trigger warnings: Military violence and war themes, refugee experiences, displacement, explosions, death of a man in a war, PTSD

8/10, after reading an interesting crime novel I returned to Alan Gratz to see what other books he has written and I found this one called Refugee and after enjoying Allies I had high expectations for this and this just exceeded them, where do I even begin. And of course he did not disappoint. For starters this is an amazing refugee novel, better than any other refugee novel ever made before such as Bo Ballet Shoes in Syria and this really pulled no punches. This book was so immersive and compelling but heartbreaking at times, especially what happened to Josef. All the stories in the book just felt so real, maybe because they are based on true stories. I recommend this book to those who love historical fiction and a hopeful but heartbreaking story. He is my new favourite author of the year now which is impressive. ( )

Fantastic middle-grade book. Tells the stories of 3 refugee families in 3 different times and places. The stories are told in an alternating way. The format made the parallels in the stories quite clear for kids. This book tells some hard truths. It may be difficult for younger or sensitive readers, but it is so important. ( )

3 era in history that have to do with war. Nazi Germany, Hunger in Cuba from , and war in Syria.

The German boy Josef wants to go to the Cuba.
The girl from Cuba Isabella is trying to go to America.
The boy from Syria is trying to go to Germany.

Each character is trying to escape from a life in fear to a life where they will live safely, but their journey along the way includes a lot of struggle.

CW: PTSD because of war crimes leads man to want to kill himself. ( )