full review [here]

Refugee collects the stories of three tweens seeking refuge from their respective oppressive governments. Josef is a Jewish boy escaping Nazi Germany in the 1940’s, Isabel is a Cuban girl escaping hunger and Castro’s oppressive regime in the 1990’s, and Mahmoud is a Syrian boy escaping his home of Aleppo as his president bombs his own people in the near present day of 2015.

I usually shy away from the phrase “mandatory reading” but I can’t with this book: it is mandatory reading. It is a hard read, and it will probably make you cry, but it is important.

Gratz does an excellent job with keeping the plot moving-almost too quickly, but nothing it feels cliche. Especially since everything that’s mentioned in the book has historical support for actually happening. The characters, while not completely fleshed out, induce empathy easily. Gratz doesn’t victimize or create martyrs out of them which is a fine line to walk.

Take the time to read this book, you will be glad you did.