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A review by krammedshelf
Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
5.0
That was fun yet eye-opening book I’ve read this year. Other Words for Home is on my ”2019 Best Read” list because of how powerful and vulnerable this book is.
Other Words for Home follows Jude, a little girl from Syria, who moves to America with her pregnant mother when things in Syria are growing violent and unsafe for them to live. Jude has to leave her father and older brother behind in hope America will give her a safe place. Little did she know in America she has to keep her value as a Muslim while trying to adapt herself with this new place she’d call home.
I love this book so much and this will have a special place in my heart. I adore Jude for her courage, confidence and kindness. She always sees the best in everything and everyone. She is vulnerable and strong at the same time. I love how Jasmine Warga captured Jude’s confusion, fear, confidence and strength throughout the book. It was written beautifully with metaphors after metaphors that somehow are still suitable for her targeted audiences.
Jude, even when she’s still in seventh grade, has to navigate her new life in America. She quickly realized that she has a new role here in America. Back home, Jude is just Jude; a little girl who loves to watch movie. But in her new world, Jude has to accept her role as a teenage girl and refugee, as well as a Muslim who covers her hair. Jude has to learn how to react toward what people thinks of her, the good and the bad. I’m also proud of how Jude realizes how lucky she is to be able to live in America where many people may not have the same fate as her. As a kid, Jude has a good personality and I really, really love her for that.
If you want to read this book, don’t be fooled with the middle grade label on it. Nowadays, I see many middle grade books bring up important issues which need to be introduced to younger generations; Other Words for Home is one of the examples.
Other Words for Homeexplores various topics from sense of belonging, terrorism, Islamophobia, racism and war. These topics used to be labeled as unfriendly for child, but I think if we introduce these topics to kids from earlier, it would make them realize how important these issues are and we shouldn’t take these matters lightly. This book teaches us about welcoming refugee and not excluding nor being racist toward them. All middle grade students should at least read this book to give them more insight at how world looks like right now; it’s both beautiful and ugly at the same time.
Kudos for Jasmine Warga for bringing up such important topics and wrap them without sugarcoating anything yet still suitable for kids to read. Thank you Ma’am for your service.
My rating: 5/5 stars
Favorite shelf: Yes
Will I recommend it to you? Yes. Please don’t stop yourself from reading this book just because it’s targeted to middle grade students, trust me, this is a book you need right now.
Other Words for Home follows Jude, a little girl from Syria, who moves to America with her pregnant mother when things in Syria are growing violent and unsafe for them to live. Jude has to leave her father and older brother behind in hope America will give her a safe place. Little did she know in America she has to keep her value as a Muslim while trying to adapt herself with this new place she’d call home.
I love this book so much and this will have a special place in my heart. I adore Jude for her courage, confidence and kindness. She always sees the best in everything and everyone. She is vulnerable and strong at the same time. I love how Jasmine Warga captured Jude’s confusion, fear, confidence and strength throughout the book. It was written beautifully with metaphors after metaphors that somehow are still suitable for her targeted audiences.
Jude, even when she’s still in seventh grade, has to navigate her new life in America. She quickly realized that she has a new role here in America. Back home, Jude is just Jude; a little girl who loves to watch movie. But in her new world, Jude has to accept her role as a teenage girl and refugee, as well as a Muslim who covers her hair. Jude has to learn how to react toward what people thinks of her, the good and the bad. I’m also proud of how Jude realizes how lucky she is to be able to live in America where many people may not have the same fate as her. As a kid, Jude has a good personality and I really, really love her for that.
If you want to read this book, don’t be fooled with the middle grade label on it. Nowadays, I see many middle grade books bring up important issues which need to be introduced to younger generations; Other Words for Home is one of the examples.
Other Words for Homeexplores various topics from sense of belonging, terrorism, Islamophobia, racism and war. These topics used to be labeled as unfriendly for child, but I think if we introduce these topics to kids from earlier, it would make them realize how important these issues are and we shouldn’t take these matters lightly. This book teaches us about welcoming refugee and not excluding nor being racist toward them. All middle grade students should at least read this book to give them more insight at how world looks like right now; it’s both beautiful and ugly at the same time.
Kudos for Jasmine Warga for bringing up such important topics and wrap them without sugarcoating anything yet still suitable for kids to read. Thank you Ma’am for your service.
My rating: 5/5 stars
Favorite shelf: Yes
Will I recommend it to you? Yes. Please don’t stop yourself from reading this book just because it’s targeted to middle grade students, trust me, this is a book you need right now.