Humans everywhere have similar dreams of living in safety and freedom. In Syria today, these dreams are impossible due to the continuous wars ripping the country apart. Doaa and her family are forced to flee Syria to Egypt for safety, but when Egypt becomes dangerous, Doaa and her boyfriend Bassem decide that their best chance of seeking asylum in Europe is to be smuggled over in a boat. After four days at sea, their boat is attacked and sunk. Doaa is floating in the water using a child's inflatable ring, and she is the only thing keeping the two children clinging to her neck alive. The waters around her are littered with bodies. How will she have the strength to survive? The war in Syria is often on the national news, and I new facts about the trials Syrians faced in attempting to get to Europe: a land of freedom and safety. However, this book brought those stories to life and made them personal. Doaa is a strong and opinionated girl who fights hard to bring her dreams to life. As a reader, you will fight for her dreams as well as sheet floats on the sea, with death growing ever closer. I could not put this book down. It was amazing! Highly recommended!
A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea: The Journey of Doaa Al Zamel by Melissa Fleming
Humans everywhere have similar dreams of living in safety and freedom. In Syria today, these dreams are impossible due to the continuous wars ripping the country apart. Doaa and her family are forced to flee Syria to Egypt for safety, but when Egypt becomes dangerous, Doaa and her boyfriend Bassem decide that their best chance of seeking asylum in Europe is to be smuggled over in a boat. After four days at sea, their boat is attacked and sunk. Doaa is floating in the water using a child's inflatable ring, and she is the only thing keeping the two children clinging to her neck alive. The waters around her are littered with bodies. How will she have the strength to survive? The war in Syria is often on the national news, and I new facts about the trials Syrians faced in attempting to get to Europe: a land of freedom and safety. However, this book brought those stories to life and made them personal. Doaa is a strong and opinionated girl who fights hard to bring her dreams to life. As a reader, you will fight for her dreams as well as sheet floats on the sea, with death growing ever closer. I could not put this book down. It was amazing! Highly recommended!
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If There's No Tomorrow by Jennifer Armentrout Your friends have been drinking and want to leave. They assure you they are all right to drive. You have a lot of choices: You can make a fuss until they don't drive, let them leave without you, or go with them, believing their assurances of sobriety. We would all like to believe we would take their keys, but what would you REALLY do? The summer before Lena's Senior year, she is in this situation, and her decision rocks her world forever. Afterwards, Lena has to figure out how to move forward in life and love when she knows that there may not be a tomorrow. Armentrout's latest teen romance has a powerful message, while avoiding being after-school-special preachy. You will struggle with Lena as she has to come to grips about a future so different than what she had planned. She is also wrestling with her more than friendly feelings for her her best friend and neighbor, Sebastian. This fresh take on an old problem is an important read. Highly recommended! Mars One by Jonathan Maberry Imagine growing up knowing your life on earth would end at age 16. Tristan and his family are one of the select few chosen to colonize Mars, and the mission is set to launch when Tristan is 16. He has spent the last four years training for the mission. He knows that if something goes wrong in space, the only ones who can save them is themselves. As the launch date approaches, Tristan begins to get more unsure of his family's decision. He has a girl that he loves that he will have to leave behind, and and a terrorist group has escalated their attacks on anything relation to the Mars Mission. Tristan will have to decide if he wants to be a normal teenager or be the teen to make history. This action packed story is difficult to put down. Filled with suspense and excitement, readers will be walking with Tristan as he faces the dangers of the mission, and it's effect on his relationships. Highly recommended! Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds After Will's older brother Shawn is gunned down, he knows he has to follow the rules handed down by the men in his family for generations. Rule 1: No crying. Rule 2: No snitching. Rule 3: Get revenge. With his brother's gun, Will sets out in the elevator the next morning intent on following the "rules" and eliminating the kid he is sure is responsible. However, the elevator ride down is more difficult than he imagined. On each floor down, someone from his past joins him, and Will will have to decide if he wants to follow the rules or forge a new path. This verse novel will shock you with its raw honesty. Will is a scared kid who honestly believes he has no choice but avenge his brother's murder. Without a choice, you are a slave, but how do you break your bonds if you don't even realize you are wearing any. This National Book Award for Young Persons finalist is an essential read. Jason Reynolds continues to amaze. Highly recommended! |
AuthorMs. Smith has been the librarian at Washington HS in Sioux Falls, SD, since 2005. She enjoys reading, watching K-Dramas, Harry Potter and hanging out with her family. Archives
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