Homeland

Moushabeck, Hannah. Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2023.
My grandparents fled the USSR in the 1920s. My father was six years old. My mother was six months old. I grew up hearing stories of the revolution. Of soldiers, dressed in red, shooting men in front of my father, who as a result refused to wear anything red – not even the tie I once gave him for Christmas. He returned a dictionary – which he’d said he wanted – because the cover was red. I grew up hearing about the soldiers who imprisoned my maternal grandfather and only released him after much pleading. He had to find his way home – in the middle of the night and in the middle of the winter – dressed only in long underwear. It was a miracle he survived. Never did I think of Russia as my homeland. Governments, I knew, could change and flight might be the only safe choice. So I shouldn’t get too attached to where I lived.
But Russia was home to my ancestors for only 130 years. What is it like when a land has been your home for thousands of years?
Homeland – illustrated by Reem Madooh – tells the story of a little girl listening to her father talk about Palestine. About how – as a boy – he visited his grandparents in the Old City of Jerusalem. About how he would walk through the market – hearing calls for prayer and ringing church bells – and sit in cafes where poets and storytellers gathered. She sees the key – hanging in her house – for the home that was left behind when the family had to flee. Homeland is a story of remembered joys, of longing, and of hope. A glossary of Arabic words, an author’s note and four family photographs accompany this thought-provoking picture book highly recommended for readers of all ages.

More stories of Palestine and Israel

More stories of refugees

Mishka

Vendel, Edward van de and Anoush Elman. Mishka. Hoboken, NJ: Levine Querido, 2024.
Young Roya’s two older brothers, her mother, and her father do not want to talk about the past. But when Roya is allowed to adopt a pet rabbit, hearts are softened and the family is able to tell her about their former life in Afghanistan and their long journey to the Netherlands. Based on the experiences of Anoush Elman’s own family, this gentle novel is highly recommended for readers 8 to 10 years old.

P.S. The design of this book is beautiful. The size of the font, the spacing of the lines, the size of the pages, and the softness of the illustrations all contribute to a book suitable for young readers. The style of the writing is exquisite. The conversations between characters, the rhythm of the sentences, and the length of the paragraphs all help create a novel that would be wonderful as a reader’s theatre novel study. 

More stories set in the Netherlands

More stories about refugees

More on teaching novel studies

Zia’s Story

Qayumi, Shahnaz. Zia’s Story. Vancouver, BC: Tradewind Books, 2024.
What makes a story appealing to me? It’s not the plot line. It’s not the characters. It’s not the setting, even though I enjoy historical fiction. It is the voice that makes a story come alive. The character’s voice, rather than the author’s voice inserting itself and destroying the illusion required for me to become immersed in an alternate world.
Zia’s Story starts a bit stiffly, all in grammatically correct sentences and narrated in a straight-forward matter-of-fact style. But rapidly, that voice becomes real, the entirely believable voice of a reporter recording events of political upheaval.
Twelve-year-old Zia, the main character, watches his father being arrested shortly before the Russian army withdraws from Afghanistan. He witnesses the changes as the Taliban take over his country. He explains how he and his mother flee to Pakistan, only to encounter more political machinations. He relates how the two of them finally find safety in Canada. At the end, the story lives in my mind as nonfiction.
And the story is based on true events: the author and her son had to leave Afghanistan and find refuge in Canada. But what makes the writing magical is that voice of a twelve-year-old giving a report on what he has experienced. It’s unforgettable. Highly recommended for readers 10 years old and up. 

More stories of refugees

More stories set in Afghanistan

More stories set in Pakistan

More stories of political conflict

Tips for recognizing good writing

Lost Words

Boukarim, Leila. Lost Words: An Armenian Story of Survival and Hope. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2024.
A little boy walks and walks and walks, for days and weeks and months, leaving behind his parents, looking for a new life. Based on the author’s own family history and illustrated by Sona Avedikain, this quiet picture book portrays the experiences of a refugee during the early 20th century. It is appended by photographs and lengthy notes from both the author and illustrator, as well as a brief history of the Armenian Genocide. Recommended for those interested in world history and those ready to explore their own family’s history.

More stories of refugees

More stories based on real history 

Finding Papa

Krans, Angela Pham. Finding Papa. New York: Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2023.
After the Vietnam War ended in 1975, thousands of people tried to escape their devastated country. Setting out on boats into the unknown, they hoped for a better life in a new place. Some survived. This picture book – illustrated by a Caldecott Honor winner – is the story of one such family, a mother and daughter trying to reach America. Based on the author’s own childhood experience, this powerful picture book – well-suited to reading aloud – is recommended for children 6 to 11 years old.

Another story about the Vietnamese “boat people”

A true story about Vietnam

More stories of refugees

The Carpet

Azaad, Dezh. The Carpet: An Afghan Family Story. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2023.

A refugee child describes all the ways the family gathers around their treasured carpet. They prepare food together, share meals together, read books, play games, remember the life they had long ago, and dream of the life they will have in a new land. Written by an Afghan refugee who lives in Germany and illustrated by a New York City artist, this colourful picture book is recommended as a read-aloud for children five to nine years old. 

More stories about people from Afghanistan

More stories about refugees

Village of Scoundrels

Preus, Margi. Village of Scoundrels: Based on a True Story of Courage during WWII. New York: Amulet Books, 2021.

During World War 2, brave villagers in Les Lauzes, France shelter refugees and the people leading them to safety in Switzerland. This quickly-paced novel does not hide the brutality of the Nazi occupiers. Danger is ever present. But there is also humour and joy and hope among the children and young adults setting out to fool the German Gestapo. Includes an epilogue with photographs and biographies of what happened to the real people in the story. Highly recommended for readers 11 to 14 years of age. 

More stories set in France

More stories of refugees

More stories of World War 2