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Refugee | Alan Gratz

I feel that Josef's story was rushed near the end. It slowly built up while they waited to see if they would be allowed in Cuba, but then it went in fast forward. They went from an attempt to take over the ship to being in France then told Germany invaded in 1 chapter. It frustrates me & I am an adult who knows about WWII so I can imagine how confusing this could be to a 13 year old. It almost went over my kids head...I had to stop and explain.

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Refugee | Alan Gratz

" Don't you see? Lito said. "The Jewish people on the ship or seeking asylum, just like us. They needed a place to hide from Hitler. From the Nazis. Mañana, we told them. We'll let you in mañana. But we never did." Little was crying now distraught.
"We sent him back to Europe and Hitler and the Holocaust. Back to their deaths. How many of them died because we turned them away? Because I was just doing my job?"

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Refugee | Alan Gratz

(Pg. 182 cont.) Isabel has been most lucky of the three in that she has both parents and a grandfather to take care of her but she has made some smart and mature decisions. It must have been a huge let down getting to land and realizing they were in the Bahamas and couldn't stay but she was smart enough to ask people for medication for her mother.

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Refugee | Alan Gratz

(Pg. 182) I am glad Mahmoud's mother was able to get a life vest on since she was at the point of giving up on life. Josef is also being put in the role of adult and caretaker being left alone to take her of his poor father who is losing his mind and his little sister.

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Refugee | Alan Gratz

I started this book with my son who is in 8th grade. He hates reading so I literally have to sit and make him read. After reading the first 33 pages, he started to say it didn't suck. I am glad he liked it.

SW-T Guess that‘s a compliment! 😂 Welcome to Litsy! #litsywelcomewagon Happy reading to you. 😊 4y

LibrarianRyan Such a great book. I was listening to it on audio one day. I usually turn my audiobooks off when he gets up but he asked to keep it on and stayed and listened to most of it. 4y

Mrs-Hdz It definitely is a compliment from him. My son is autistic and I have him read the book as I play the audio. Using audio has always been a powerful weapon to get kids into books. I am a retired reading teacher. 4y

Mrs-Hdz @SW-T Thank you! 4y

Eggs Welcome to Litsy 🥳 4y

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a.bookish.byrd

Refugee | Alan Gratz

pick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Becker

Refugee | Alan Gratz

pick

Would be a fantastic classroom read or parent/child read because it would offer endless discussion. The subject matter was well handled and it was an engaging read. Written for middle grade or tween but can be read by all ages. ❤️

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Daisey

Refugee | Alan Gratz

This turned into a better reading month than I expected, but it is very heavy on audio. My clear favorite this month was Refugee by Alan Gratz, but I also really appreciated Rage Becomes Her and a reread of The Screwtape Letters on audio.

#ReadingStats #MonthlyStats

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Onceuponatime

Refugee | Alan Gratz

pick

Powerful and eye-opening. I love the way the refugees‘ stories connect through multiple generations. ❤️ Highly recommend. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #oregonbattleofthebooks

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Refugee | Alan Gratz

This post contains spoilers

Chelsibno Lol, I was totally going to make this a discussion question and then totally forgot when I sat down to write all of them. “What format did you read this book in? How do you think the format affected the reading experience?” I first read it as an ebook over a year ago, then listened to the audiobook last week. I loved hearing the characters‘ voices in the audiobook and felt like certain scenes were more emotional in that format. 5y

Daisey I read this in paperback but I‘ve also had the audio on my library list for a while, so I may need to listen to at least part of it for comparison. I like physical for alternating timelines so I can jump back and forth if needed to check details. 5y

Lmstraubie @Daisey @Chelsibno I listened to the audio. I really liked having the different narrators, but think it would have been helpful to have a physical copy as well when I was trying to remember the time frames. 5y

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Lmstraubie I was very upset over the death if Isabelle's friend. I actually got angry at the author lol I kept thinking, "Why did you do this to a child and not an adult?!?!?" But I guess that was the reality of the situation. 5y

JaclynW I read this in hardcover format, which I liked. I did flip back and forth several times to see timelines. I love audiobook and this sounds like it would be interesting to try that way too. @Chelsibno @Daisey @Lmstraubie 5y

JaclynW @Lmstraubie I was also angry that Ivan died!! 😭😭😭 No! Why??? So unfair. But probably realistic. The grandpa sacrificing himself made me sad too. I was SO hoping they would all be free together. 😢 @Daisey @Chelsibno 5y

JaclynW @Chelsibno Thank you for providing great questions and a space for us to discuss this amazing book. @Lmstraubie Thank you for choosing this book! My son (14 yrs. old) has been begging me to read it for months. He has read most of this author's work and loves it all. This book provided a really nice discussion this morning at breakfast with my family, so thank you. @Daisey @Lmstraubie @Chelsibno Thank you for sharing your insights, I value them. 5y

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Refugee | Alan Gratz

This post contains spoilers

Lmstraubie I didn't have a favorite, but if pressed I would pick Muhammad. My heart broke for all of them, but especially with Muhammad being so responsible all the time and that moment when he just wants to be a little boy... 5y

JaclynW I don't know if I had a favorite either. They were each amazing in their own way. The things they faced are extraordinary and so difficult. I loved each of their stories and how they responded to each situation. It felt very real, very human and thus relatable. It was easy to feel like you were right along with them. @Lmstraubie 5y

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Refugee | Alan Gratz

This post contains spoilers

Lmstraubie It gave me moments of pause to think about how much happens in the time frame, even when it seems like nothing is happening. Some journeys are long, some are short, but they were all harrowing. 5y

JaclynW The time table helps put it into perspective. Again, thos could be a great teaching tool to compare and contrast the stories and time passed and what occurs in this time. @Lmstraubie All harrowing indeed. 5y

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Refugee | Alan Gratz

This post contains spoilers

Daisey Sometimes I have a hard time with this kind of story and I just want to read each timeline straight through. However, I felt the parallels that were carefully built in this story made the alternating timelines work incredibly well. For me, this parallel structure gave me a better and more understanding perspective towards modern refugees. I think that was part of the goal, to show how history often repeats and how we should learn to be better. 5y

Lmstraubie Well said @Daisey I agree. I think the whole purpose of him writing this way was to show the connections and similarities between the expiriences. 5y

JaclynW I love stories written this way! I love to see the parallels and make connections. I tend to read the book faster too because I'm anxious to hear the next part in each story. @Daisey @Lmstraubie The author did do an excellent job at showing the similarities, how history repeats and (I think, most importantly) that this is STILL an issue today that we should be mindful of. I loved how the author points out at the end how we can help. I think ⬇️ 5y

JaclynW That's great to get kids thinking of how to take action to help others. Books like this are such great teaching tools. You learn history, current events and empathy. Bravo to the author! 👏 @Lmstraubie @Daisey 5y

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Refugee | Alan Gratz

This post contains spoilers

Lmstraubie The unknown. And acceptance. Their treatment throughout their lives and journeys made it hard for them to know what to expect. 5y

JaclynW @Lmstraubie So much is unknown! That is terrifying. So much is foreign too - the language, culture, customs and traditions. Can they fit in? Will they be accepted? Can they still be themselves? Do they have to give up their language, culture, customs and traditions? Will things ever be "normal" again? Will they live in fear of that happening again? I bet they also miss their home, their country, their people. Man. It would be so difficult. 5y

Lmstraubie @JaclynW I can't even begin to wrap my head around it (and hope I will never have to). 5y

JaclynW @Lmstraubie Agreed. 5y

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Refugee | Alan Gratz

This post contains spoilers

Daisey I thought the combination of hope and despair with this word was powerful in this story. It starts out as hopeful, a feeling of being close to success. Then as time goes on it comes to mean less and less as it is just an excuse to make people wait. 5y

Lmstraubie It was especially powerful in Josef's and Isabelle's stories. 5y

JaclynW @Daisey @Lmstraubie Extremely powerful! It's funny how a word can carry two meanings/feelings that are so polar opposite. I wonder how that carried on for the rest of their lives. Did they see it as positive overall? Or dread and despair whenever they heard the word? 5y

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Refugee | Alan Gratz

This post contains spoilers

Lmstraubie I think it shows up best through Muhamad's story. He had to constantly decide when it was best to lay low and when it was best to be seen. Their safety depended on both. 5y

JaclynW @Lmstraubie Yes, exactly! What a mature thing for Mahmoud to have to figure out. To a degree, I think we all come to some sort of this realization. In the way it is portrayed in this story is extreme, but real (unfortunately). 5y

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Refugee | Alan Gratz

This post contains spoilers

Daisey Josef‘s journey was the safest and most comfortable. Isabel and Mahmoud‘s were more similar to me in the type of smaller boat. Isabel‘s group had the most control over their own situation in building and traveling in the boat. 5y

Lmstraubie I agree with @Daisey I do have to say I was a bit confused as to Josef's journey. I kept thinking what is going to happen to that captain upon his return to Germany. 5y

JaclynW @Lmstraubie @Daisey I agree with you both. Isabel and Mahmoud's journeys were so dangerous! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time! To hear the facts at the end of the book about how many died at sea is just so terribly sad to me. Josef's journey did seem in some ways easier....but...in the end several of those passengers ended up dying in concentration camps. I also thought the St. Louis journey was odd. I'd never heard about it. 5y

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Daisey @JaclynW One of the many things I appreciated about this book was the story of the St. Louis. I had heard of it and knew they had been turned away from the U.S., but I had never read the specifics. 5y

JaclynW @Daisey It is always nice to hear more details. I loved learning more. It is really difficult for me to imagine countries turning away refugees. It isn't their fault necessarily that they are leaving their country. I'm sure they'd rather stay if things were safe and prosperous. Any of us would want to leave an unsafe place to protect ourselves and our family. Having the 3 perspectives here showed this still happens TODAY! I'm glad the author ⬇️ 5y

JaclynW @Daisey did this so there wasn't a false sense of reality. If it had just been Josef's story, kids reading it may have thought this was a "past" problem and that we've learned from past mistakes and that it doesn't happen like that anymore. I'm glad it was highlighted. 5y

Lmstraubie @JaclynW @Daisey That is such a valid point! It is so important with so many topics (thinking Native Americans) that kids know the present day situation and not always think this happens in the past. 5y

JaclynW @Lmstraubie @Daisey Yes! Civil Rights for example. True, it was an important historical event...but....we are still fighting for many of those EXACT SAME things today!!! And yes, most definitely Native Americans. I wasn't even taught the truth about the Native American people in school. My kids are though, that gives me hope. 5y

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Refugee | Alan Gratz

This post contains spoilers

Lmstraubie They have extremely difficult decisions to make every step of the way. They have to be strong, but they are also human which unfortunately leads to their children being the adult at some points. 5y

JaclynW @Lmstraubie I can't imagine as a parent the immense pressure and stress that they were each experiencing. To escape from dangerous situations and navigate foreign lands can seem almost impossible. To protect your family. Wow. I think the parent's change came when realizing they are just human and it is okay to rely on others. They faced so many harsh realities. 5y

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Refugee | Alan Gratz

This post contains spoilers

Lmstraubie Each of these kids has to grow up pretty fast. In each situation they had to take on a leadership or parent role at some point because the parents were unable to. 5y

JaclynW @Lmstraubie Agreed. It was sad to see the adults break down like that. But at the same time, their responses were very understandable, a total human response. It was great to see the kids rise to the occasion. 5y

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Refugee | Alan Gratz

This post contains spoilers

Lmstraubie Perseverance. They all kept going and tried to make the best of the situation. 5y

JaclynW @Lmstraubie Yes! Perseverance! I was amazed at their bravery to face what they had to face. That is a lot to take on for anyone. They were just kids. 😢 To persevere through all of that is amazing and inspiring. 5y

Lmstraubie @JaclynW It is heartbreaking that kids have to go through this 😕 5y

JaclynW @Lmstraubie Very! 5y

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Refugee | Alan Gratz

This post contains spoilers

Daisey All of them are facing violence and/or imprisonment for someone in their family if they stay. I found the way the author was able to keep the stories parallel in so many ways led to a greater impact. 5y

Lmstraubie @Daisey He did do a great job in the creation of the 3 stories. 5y

JaclynW @Daisey @Lmstraubie The author did an amazing job at creating the 3 stories. Yes, the violence and imprisonment was similar (the horrors!!). You were immediately rooting for each family to escape to safety. Each of the featured children grew up a lot during this short time, they had to deal with things most children don't have to experience. The way the author tied the 3 stories together was very clever and I don't think it felt too forced. 5y

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