I've had this on my list ever since I read Dumas' Funny in Farsi years ago. While this is a fictional middle-grade novel (and a bitingly funny one at that), Dumas intersperses real historical events in a way that feels organic to the story; it's easy to tell that her lived experiences informed much of this book.

Amidst the humor and the history is despair, warmth, and even a bit of romance--the balance between these elements made this a five-star book for me and a great pick for middle-grade readers looking for a multicultural historical fiction read.