Jude is 12 loves to talk. She loves chatting and laughing with her best friend Fatima and singing with her big brother too, but she is always being told to quieten down by her parents. They are a close knit family living in a city in Syria. Jude and Fatima’s favourite thing to do is watch American movies. She thinks she looks a little like Julia Roberts, at least her wide mouth does. They laugh at this, and then watch the movies all over again.

But times are changing. Now that her big brother is older, he is losing his smile and becoming much more serious. He talks of democracy and against the Syrian president, claiming he is oppressing their people. All Jude wants is to carry on in peace and as they always have, but there is no stopping her brother and his university friends. They march and protest, and the unrest around them grows.

Jude’s mother has a baby on the way, and it is decided they will move to America while things are unstable in their beloved Syria. This is exciting and terrifying in equal measure for Jude, but she is essential in their travel as she speaks English. It’s only when they arrive in the US, does she realise how little English she actually does understand.

They are welcomed with open arms by her mum’s brother and her aunt, but their daughter Sarah is distant. When it’s decided Jude needs to attend school too, Sarah isn’t impressed.

Slowly but surely, Jude finds her way. At first she is timid, the old Jude hiding under the confusion and dismissal of her cousin, but when she finds a way to bring out the old Jude, she remembers what her big brother said before she left. “Be brave.”

While trying out for the school play, watching her mother’s pregnancy and learning more English, she is increasingly worried about her big brother back in Syria. Tensions are rising and she worries for his safety. As these tensions come closer to home, people around her lash out with their stares at her hijab, thick accent and even at her friend’s ‘Middle Eastern’ family restaurant.

Again, she must clasp her brother’s word to her heart and keep her head up, finding friendship, understanding and a new type of belonging in her new country.

This is a Middle Grade novel that has been awarded the Newberry Honor Medal, and I can see why.

The main character’s journey is one that we can all, especially middle graders / intermediate children, understand. Jude comes from Syria to America to escape the rising tensions in her country.

She is trying to fit in, be accepted and find a new normal, but also is dealing with the question – Why don’t people see me as just me, a 12 year old girl who loves movies, singing, and laughing with friends. Why do they label me as Middle Eastern or Arab or even as a terrorist!

Her courage is inspiring as even while she worries for her older brother’s safety back in Syria, she remembers his words to be brave. Instead of hiding her true self and blending in, she steps out of that shell and finds herself again.

Told in a free verse format, the words are spare but the story is rich in meaning, emotion and portraying the journey of not only a new citizen, but also of refugees, and anyone moving or making changes in their life – big or small.

Author – Jasmine Warga

Age – 10+

(2019, Empathy, Kindness, Resilience, Determination, Bravery, Acceptance, Fitting in, Friendship, Family, Bullying, Prejudice, Hope, Courage, Harper Collins, Blended Family, Courage, Family, Friendship, Growing up, Prejudice, School, War, Syria, Refugee, Travel, United States, American movies, School Play, Verse novel)