The Eleventh Trade
by Alyssa Hollingsworth (Author)
From debut author Alyssa Hollingsworth comes a story about living with fear, being a friend, and finding a new place to call home.
They say you can't get something for nothing, but nothing is all Sami has. When his grandfather's most-prized possession--a traditional Afghan instrument called a rebab--is stolen, Sami resolves to get it back. He finds it at a music store, but it costs $700, and Sami doesn't have even one penny. What he does have is a keychain that has caught the eye of his classmate. If he trades the keychain for something more valuable, could he keep trading until he has $700? Sami is about to find out.
The Eleventh Trade is both a classic middle school story and a story about being a refugee. Alyssa Hollingsworth tackles a big issue with a light touch.
2020 UKLA Award Winner
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School Library Journal
Gr 4-6--Twelve-year-old Sami and his grandfather, Baba, are Afghan refugees who recently arrived in Boston with their prized musical instrument: a rebab. When the rebab is stolen from them in a subway station, Baba loses his source of income. Determined to find the beloved instrument, Sami befriends a resourceful, tech-savvy, soccer-loving classmate, Dan, who helps Sami locate the rebab in a secondhand music store. Sami must buy it back for $700. Unbeknown to his dispirited grandfather, Sami begins a series of trades to acquire the money, starting with his Manchester United keychain for a seemingly "broken" iPod. Joining Dan's rec center soccer team, Sami makes new friends and discovers a support network of peers and adults who help him regain the rebab and adjust to his new life. Sami's first-person narration is youthful, engaging, observant, and interspersed with personal references: Pashto vocabulary and sayings, vivid recollections of his deceased mother and father, prayer and fasting customs during Ramadan, and searing memories of his escape from a Taliban suicide bombing. Sami is not immune to the harsh realities of theft, poverty, the hate speech of a classmate who labels him a terrorist, and his own recurring nightmares of explosions, death, and harrowing escape. Background information on the Taliban insurgency and U.S. military in Afghanistan is minimal. VERDICT Sami's story sheds light on the special challenges, determination, faith, resilience, and post-traumatic stress that impact and shape the lives of many refugees.--Gerry Larson, formerly at Durham School of the Arts, NC
Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
A heartwarming story of life as a refugee, about friendship, overcoming tragedy, and an exciting quest. A classic book relevant to the events in the world today. - Jess Butterworth, author of Running on the Roof of the World
[The Eleventh Trade] sensitively portrays the contemporary challenges faced by refugees plagued by impossibly difficult experiences to work through and the ways friends can help them find a new home. - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Starred Review A moving debut about music and the power of community. - Booklist Online Sami's story sheds light on the special challenges, determination, faith, resilience, and post-traumatic stress that impact and shape the lives of many refugees. - School Library JournalAlyssa Hollingsworth was born in Florida and studied Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University. She is the author of The Eleventh Trade and lives in Hampton, Virginia.
Deborah Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea, and raised in New Jersey and Alabama. She always loved to draw, and currently works as a product designer and illustrator. Deb lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.JUV039250 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Emigration & Immigration
JUV030060 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | United States
Family life
Refugees
Grandfathers
Theft
Stealing
Teenage boys
Rabaab
