Two brothers, Omar and Sufyan, strive to reunite as they endure the turmoil of the Syrian War. With the passing of their father, Omar tries to be the man and head of his family of Syrian refugees, but in his youngest brother’s eyes, he has failed. While Omar waits in line for rations, younger brother, Sufyan, explores nontraditional methods to provide for the family by getting involved with a group that provides large rewards for doing, what seems to be, inconsequential tasks, despite his older brother’s warnings. As Sufyan’s involvement gets more intense, resulting in his separation from the family, it becomes up to bookish Omar to rescue his little brother and reunite them with their family.
Intermediate (ages 9-14)
Material appropriate for intermediate age groups
Run For Your Life
Azari’s life is split in two, but what links them? Running. Sometimes she runs because she wants to, but sometimes she runs because she has no other choice. When Azari and her mother flee to Ireland as refugees, they find themselves in a center for asylum seekers, Direct Provision. Here they must room with a stranger, eat unfamiliar food they don’t the names of, and are forced to answer intrusive questions from the authorities. Azari has secrets, but will she ever be able to stop running?
The Art And Life Of Hilma Af Klint
Hilma af Klimt was born in Sweden in 1862. She would grow up to be an artist, and her life would be filled with magic and mystery. Hilma lived at a time when people were fascinated by what they couldn’t see. The invention of the telegraph and telephone made it possible to communicate over long distances, and spiritualists believed it was possible to speak with the dead. When Hilma began to hear the spirits, she found a new purpose for her paintings. For nearly one hundred years her paintings were forgotten, but when they were rediscovered they changed the history of art.
Featured in WOW Review Volume XVI, Issue 2.
Three Tasks For A Dragon
Studious Prince Lir is next in line to become the Wolfhound King, but he can’t ride a horse, lift a sword, or summon the fabled wolfhounds. So his stepmother decrees that her own son will inherit the crown instead, sending Lir away on a seemingly impossible—and assuredly fatal—quest: to rescue the maiden Cethlenn from the once-fearsome dragon Lasvarg. Rather than wage battle, Lir insists that Lasvarg, now decidedly past his prime, honor tradition by setting him three tasks to perform—starting with tackling the mold encrusting the dragon’s cave (and his feet!). As Lir improves Lasvarg’s life, he also grows closer to Cethlenn . . . as well as the wolfhound puppy strangely devoted to her. In time, they learn more of the dark magic that may be making pawns of them all—and how Cethlenn herself could be the key to breaking a spell that clouds the entire kingdom.
Three Tasks For A Dragon is featured in WOW Review Volume XVII, Issue 3.
Saving H’non: Chang And The Elephant
Based on a true story of the young conservationist, Chang, who overcomes incredible odds for the sake of saving H’Non, an elephant who must be nursed back to health after years of being forced to move heavy equipment on construction sites and carry tourists to attractions all day with no breaks. A bond develops between Chang and H’Non as she nurses the elephant back to health and she decides to try and return H’Non back to her natural habitat.
A Pocketful Of Stars
Safiya and her mum rarely see eye to eye. They don’t seem to have anything in common. But when her mother falls into a coma, Safiya must come to terms with their complex relationship. As she waits by her mother’s bedside, Safiya finds herself in a confusing alternate world, where she meets a rebellious teenage girl who looks suspiciously familiar.
The Night Raven (The Moonwind Mysteries)
Stockholm winter 1880: twelve-year old Mika knows that it will be a struggle for everyone in the orphanage to survive this winter. To everyone’s shock, a newborn baby is left at the orphanage in the middle of the night with a cryptic message. Who is this baby boy? Where did he come from? And who is the “Dark Angel”? Meanwhile, there is an ease of mind knowing that the notorious serial killer, known as the Night Raven, is finally off the streets… or is he? Enter Detective Hoff who recruits Mika because of her ability to notice small details – a skill she credits for her ability to survive. He is investigating a gruesome murder and needs Mika’s help. With such little hope for the future, Mika questions if this could be an opportunity, or maybe, just maybe, a chance to be someone who matters.
The Sea In Winter
After a knee injury sidelines her ballet dreams, Maisie struggles with her new reality as she is no longer able to maintain her ballet training and auditions. While her family is supportive, Maisie knows they do not understand the hopelessness that she feels. Her anxieties soon lead to dark moods that begin to hurt as much as the pain in her knee. She has no interest in the planned family road trip along the coast, near the Makah community where her mother grew up. How can she possibly keep pretending to be strong?
The House Of The Lost On The Cape
Kazu knows something odd is going on when he sees a girl in a white kimono sneak out of his house in the middle of the night-was he dreaming? Did he see a ghost? Things get even stranger when he shows up to school the next day to see the very same figure sitting in his classroom. No one else thinks it’s weird, and, even though Kazu doesn’t remember ever seeing her before, they all seem convinced that the ghost girl Akari has been their friend for years! When Kazu’s summer project to learn about Kimyo Temple draws the meddling attention of his mysterious neighbor Ms. Minakami and his secretive new classmate Akari, Kazu soon learns that not everything is as it seems in his hometown. Kazu discovers that Kimyo Temple is linked to a long forgotten legend about bringing the dead to life, which could explain Akari’s sudden appearance-is she a zombie or a ghost? Kazu and Akari join forces to find and protect the source of the temple’s power. An unfinished story in a magazine from Akari’s youth might just hold the key to keeping Akari in the world of the living, and it’s up to them to find the story’s ending and solve the mystery as the adults around them conspire to stop them from finding the truth.
Of All Tribes: American Indians And Alcatraz
On the night of November 20, 1969, the end of one of the most tumultuous decades in American history eighty-nine young Native American activists crossed the San Francisco Bay under cover of darkness, calling themselves the “Indians of All Tribes.” Their objective? To claim the former prison island of Alcatraz, basing their actions on an 1868 treaty that said abandoned federal land could be returned to Indigenous peoples.
Taking a stand on an island reclaimed as “Indian Land,” these peaceful protestors brought worldwide attention to the issues facing present day Native Americans, as well as the centuries of unjust federal Indian policy.