Refugee

by Alan Gratz Narrated by Michael Goldstrom, Kyla Garcia, Assaf Cohen

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Powerful and well-written, Refugee interweaves the stories of three children, living through different crises, as they seek shelter from the unfathomable events they have witnessed. This story will have you questioning what home really means.

A tour de force from acclaimed author Alan Gratz (Prisoner B-3087), this timely and powerful novel tells the story of three different children seeking refuge.

JOSEF is a Jewish boy living in 1930s Nazi Germany. With the threat of concentration camps looming, he and his family board a ship bound for the other side of the world . . .

ISABEL is a Cuban girl in 1994. With riots and unrest plaguing her country, she and her family set out on a raft, hoping to find safety in America . . .

MAHMOUD is a Syrian boy in 2015. With his homeland torn apart by violence and destruction, he and his family begin a long trek toward Europe . . .

All three kids go on harrowing journeys in search of refuge. All will face unimaginable dangers — from drownings to bombings to betrayals. But there is always the hope of tomorrow. And although Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud are separated by continents and decades, shocking connections will tie their stories together in the end.

Alan Gratz (Prisoner B-3087, Projekt 1065) delivers an action-packed novel that tackles topics both timely and timeless: courage, survival, and the quest for home.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Audio

★ 10/30/2017
The trenchant audio edition of Gratz’s middle grade novel employs the voices of three actor to tell the interwoven stories of three young refugees. Actor Goldstrom convincingly portrays 12-year-old Josef, who escapes persecution and murder in Germany in 1938. Listeners can hear the loss of innocence in Josef’s voice as he goes from anticipating becoming a bar mitzvah to becoming the head of the family after his father is murdered. Voice artist Garcia skillfully narrates the plight of 11-year-old Isabel and the Fernandez family during their harrowing 90-mile escape from Cuba to Miami on a boat in 1994. Actor Cohen dramatizes the horror of the ongoing Syrian crises in reading the story 12-year-old Mahmoud and his family, who are fleeing from the current, devastating civil war in Syria. His portrayal of Mahmoud’s optimistic father gives some relief to the grim circumstances that befall the family on their way to sanctuary in Germany. This well done performance is a timely work that will undoubtedly help young listeners think critically about the circumstances of children beyond their own comfortable borders. Ages 9–12. A Scholastic hardcover. (July)

Publishers Weekly

★ 05/22/2017
In this hard-hitting novel, Gratz (Projekt 1065) skillfully intertwines the stories of three protagonists seeking asylum with their respective families. Twelve-year-old Josef is fleeing Nazi Germany on a ship headed for Cuba in 1939; in 1994, 11-year-old Isabel leaves Cuba for the United States aboard a boat; and 12-year-old Mahmoud leaves Syria in 2015 after a bomb destroys his family’s apartment building. Though set in different political landscapes, the harrowing narratives share a sense of urgency, danger, and sacrifice, and the brief chapters keep each story fresh in readers’ minds. Each character confronts exceptional challenges: Josef must behave as the adult when his father returns shattered from a concentration camp, and Mahmoud realizes that the invisibility he cultivated in Aleppo is less of an asset in Greece (“They only see us when we do something they don’t want us to do”). Filled with both tragic loss and ample evidence of resilience, these memorable and tightly plotted stories contextualize and give voice to current refugee crises, underscoring that these journeys are born out of a desperate need for security and safety. Ages 9–12. Agent: Holly Root, Root Literary. (July)

From the Publisher

Praise for Refugee:

A New York Times Notable Book

An Amazon Best Book of the Year

A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year

A Kirkus Best Book of the Year

Winner of the Sydney Taylor Book Award

Winner of the National Jewish Book Award

"Unflinching and sympathetic." — The New York Times

"Grade A: A stunning, poignant novel." — Entertainment Weekly

"Harrowing, timely." — People Magazine

"A gripping, visceral, and hold-your-breath intense story." — John Green, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars

* "Gratz accomplishes a feat that is nothing short of brilliant, offering a skillfully wrought narrative laced with global and intergenerational reverberations that signal hope for the future. . . . Poignant, respectful, and historically accurate while pulsating with emotional turmoil, adventure, and suspense."

— Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "[A] hard-hitting novel. . . . Filled with both tragic loss and ample evidence of resilience, these memorable and tightly plotted stories contextualize and give voice to current refugee crises, underscoring that these journeys are born out of a desperate need for security and safety." — Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Gratz, who is known for well-written and well-researched historical fiction, doesn't disappoint. His latest is timely and moving. . . . This compelling novel will help young people make sense of today's refugee crisis. Meant to be read, discussed, and shared widely." — School Library Journal

"Some novels are engaging and some novels are important. Refugee is both." — #1 New York Times bestselling author Ruta Sepetys

"This heart-stopping novel is not only compelling — it is necessary." — Judy Blundell, National Book Award winning author of What I Saw and How I Lied

"An incredibly important, heartrending, edge-of-the-seat read, bringing light to the plight of immigrants who search for safety and freedom." — Pam Muñoz Ryan, author of the New York Times bestseller and Newbery Honor Book Echo

"With urgent, clear-eyed storytelling, Gratz's Refugee compellingly explores the desperation and strength that unites those struggling for a place to call home." — Eliot Schrefer, New York Times bestselling author and two-time National Book Award finalist of Rescued and Endangered

"Full of struggle, heroism, and non-stop adventure, Refugee is not only an important book, it's a terrific story." — Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, author of the New York Times bestseller and Newbery Honor Book The War That Saved My Life

"Powerful and compelling. Refugee is a story about what unites us all." — Christina Diaz Gonzalez, award-winning author of Moving Target

Praise for Projekt 1065:

* "While the book is replete with fascinating historical insight, Gratz has also crafted a suspenseful mystery that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. With short, action-packed chapters, it is a great choice for reluctant readers as well... A winning combination of action, suspense, and historical setting." — School Library Journal, starred review

* "A rare insider's glimpse into the Hitler Youth: animated, well-researched, and thought-provoking." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"[A] high-action spy thriller." — Booklist

Praise for Prisoner B-3087:

A Junior Library Guild Selection

Golden Sower Award, 2014-2015 Winner Nebraska

Isinglass Teen Read Award, 2014-2015 Winner New Hampshire

Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award, 2014-2015 Winner Pennsylvania

Junior Book Award, 2015-2016 Winner South Carolina

Grand Canyon Reader Award, 2015-2016 Winner Arizona

Truman Readers Award, 2015-2016 Winner Missouri

Readers Choice Awards, Winner 2015-2016 Virginia

Volunteer State Book Award Winner, 2015-2016 Tennessee

"A powerful story, well told." — School Library Journal

"A bone-chilling tale not to be ignored." — Kirkus Reviews

"[A] remarkable survival story." — Booklist

"Gratz ably conveys . . . fatalism, yearning, and determination in the face of the unimaginable." — Publishers Weekly

"Heartbreaking, gripping, raw, and emotional . . . storytelling at its finest." — VOYA

Praise for Code of Honor:

"Readers will be swept up by both the intrigue and the rapid pacing... Kamran is a smart and sympathetic narrator, and readers will be happy to spend time with him in this action-packed thriller." — Kirkus Reviews

"Exciting, at times ripped from the headlines, and scary, this cinematic work has layers of intrigue and danger in each scene... will appeal to a variety of readers and will raise questions about patriotism, loyalty, and trust... A winner." — School Library Journal

"Vivid characters and timely topics, such as posttraumatic stress disorder, contribute to making Code of Honor a first-rate novel." — VOYA

School Library Journal - Audio

★ 12/01/2017
Gr 3–7—The term "refugee" is constantly in the news. In direct response, Gratz gets personal with desensitizing statistics, policies, and politics by giving names, families, and histories to three tweens fleeing three countries during three time periods. Each fits the "refugee" label but is so much more than that single word. These faraway strangers immediately become children who deserve urgent attention. Josef (voiced by Michael Goldstrom) escapes Nazi Germany on the eve of World War II aboard the ill-fated St. Louis; Isabel (Kyla Garcia) leaves the unrest and deprivation of Cuba's Special Period during the 1990s; and Mahmood (Assaf Cohen) flees the bombs in 2015 that continue to destroy Syria. Despite the distance in backgrounds and in decades, the three stories will converge—naturally, yet magically—by book's end. For further edification, Gratz's detailed author's note contextualizes his fiction with truth. VERDICT With its superb tri-part narration, the audio version provides an ideal (even mandatory) opportunity for libraries to share these resonating tales with readers reluctant to pick up the page.—Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, Washington, DC

School Library Journal

07/01/2017
Gr 5–7—Gratz presents three interrelated stories about surviving. The tales center on children and their families who are driven from their homes by war, violence, and unrest. Josef must leave Nazi-controlled Germany with his mother, his sister, and his mentally broken father (just returned to them from Auschwitz). He sails across the Atlantic Ocean on the ill-fated St. Louis only to be turned away from Cuba and returned to Europe. Isabel and her family live in Cuba and escape on a makeshift raft during the exodus in the 1990s. They flee the repression and poverty of Fidel Castro's rule. Mahmoud, a Syrian boy, and his family seek refuge from the ongoing war and violence in their home city of Aleppo. They board a dinghy in order to cross the Aegean sea from Turkey to Greece. All the entries share elements of hardship, fear, and trauma and stress the power of love, family, and incredible sacrifice. Gratz, who is known for well-written and well-researched historical fiction, doesn't disappoint. His latest is timely and moving. VERDICT This compelling novel will help young people make sense of today's refugee crisis. Meant to be read, discussed, and shared widely. A first purchase.—Patricia Feriano, Montgomery County Public Schools, MD

AUGUST 2017 - AudioFile

Three narrators read the first-person narratives of three teens who are fleeing their homelands. Michael Goldstrom expresses the anxieties of Josef, who flees Germany in 1938 aboard a ship bound for Cuba. His father has been imprisoned, and Joseph wonders if the family will fall victim to Nazi sailors. Assaf Cohen conveys the maturity, caution, and protectiveness of Mahmoud as his family escapes besieged Aleppo in 2015. Kyla Garcia depicts the devotion of Isabel, who sacrifices her beloved trumpet to buy items needed to escape Cuba for America in a leaking boat in 1994. The narrators’ accents differentiate characters and time periods well. Their excellent renditions convey the teens’ emotions and point to commonalities of fear, courage, family love, and responsibility. S.W. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2017-05-10
In the midst of political turmoil, how do you escape the only country that you've ever known and navigate a new life? Parallel stories of three different middle school-aged refugees—Josef from Nazi Germany in 1938, Isabel from 1994 Cuba, and Mahmoud from 2015 Aleppo—eventually intertwine for maximum impact. Three countries, three time periods, three brave protagonists. Yet these three refugee odysseys have so much in common. Each traverses a landscape ruled by a dictator and must balance freedom, family, and responsibility. Each initially leaves by boat, struggles between visibility and invisibility, copes with repeated obstacles and heart-wrenching loss, and gains resilience in the process. Each third-person narrative offers an accessible look at migration under duress, in which the behavior of familiar adults changes unpredictably, strangers exploit the vulnerabilities of transients, and circumstances seem driven by random luck. Mahmoud eventually concludes that visibility is best: "See us….Hear us. Help us." With this book, Gratz accomplishes a feat that is nothing short of brilliant, offering a skillfully wrought narrative laced with global and intergenerational reverberations that signal hope for the future. Excellent for older middle grade and above in classrooms, book groups, and/or communities looking to increase empathy for new and existing arrivals from afar. Poignant, respectful, and historically accurate while pulsating with emotional turmoil, adventure, and suspense. (maps, author's note) (Historical fiction. 10-14)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170566075
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	07/25/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	513,574
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

Read an Excerpt

Pak! A pistol rang out again over the waves, and the crowd on the beach cried out in panic. The pistol fired again — pak! — and — ping! — the hull of the Castillos' boat rang as the bullet hit it.The police were shooting at them! But why? Didn't Castro say it was all right to leave? Isabel's eyes fell on Luis and his girlfriend, and she understood. They had been drafted into the police, and they weren't allowed to leave. They were deserters, and deserters were shot.The motor coughed to life, and the boat lurched into a wave, spraying Isabel with seawater. The villagers on the beach cheered for them, and Sr. Castillo revved the engine, leaving the charging policemen in their wake.Isabel braced herself between two of the benches, trying to catch her breath. It took her a moment to process it, but this was really happening. They were leaving Cuba, her village, her home — everything she'd ever known — behind.Isabel's father pitched across the roiling boat and grabbed Sr. Castillo by the shirt. "What are you playing at, letting them on board?" he demanded. "What if they follow us? What if they send a navy boat after us? You've put us all in danger!"Sr. Castillo batted Geraldo Fernandez's arms away. "We didn't ask you to come along!""It's our gasoline!" Isabel's father yelled.They kept arguing, but the engine and the slap of the boat against the waves drowned their words out for Isabel. She wasn't paying any attention anyway. All she could think about was the ninety miles they still had to go, and the water pouring in from the gunshot hole in the side of the boat.

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