Nowhere Boy

Gr 5-8—Fourteen-year-old Ahmed flees war-torn Syria with his father after a bomb kills the rest of their family. His father jumps from the leaky raft he and other escaping refugees are on to prevent it from sinking in the middle of the Mediterranean. A rogue wave sweeps him away and Ahmed's loss mounts. A fellow refugee takes him in and they eventually join a refugee tent camp in Brussels. But anti-Muslim sentiment is running high in Belgium. When the tent city is shut down, Ahmed, terrified of being returned, runs away and takes shelter in the sub-basement of a home. The home is newly occupied by an American family. Max, the 13-year-old son, is furious with his parents for uprooting him from his friends and forcing him to learn a new language. He becomes intrigued with the history of the house when he learns that a Jewish child was hidden in the basement during World War II. When Max discovers Ahmed and learns his story, the two form a fledgling friendship. Max is not only determined to keep Ahmed hidden, but determined to get him into school. Marsh skillfully weaves the historical parallels with a touching story of friendship. She ratchets up the tension and suspense, until it becomes unbearable; readers will fly through the last hundred pages. VERDICT Thoughtfully touching on immigration, Islamophobia, and terrorism, this novel is a first-purchase. Hands to fans of Alan Gratz's Refugee.—Brenda Kahn, Tenakill Middle School, Closter, NJ

Uprooted from their homelands through vastly different circumstances, two teenage boys form an unusual friendship in present-day Brussels. After a bomb kills Ahmed's mother and sisters, he and his father undertake a treacherous journey from Syria to Greece, but Ahmed arrives alone, his father lost at sea and presumed dead. Once in Belgium, desperate to avoid yet another "reception center... human pens where refugees were crowded together, given expired food, and hollered at by impatient guards," he flees, sneaking into the basement of a house on Avenue Albert Jonnart, named after a man who hid a Jewish teenager during WWII. Max, a misfit American teen who has just arrived at this house with his family, is grudgingly repeating sixth grade at the nearby "School of Misery." Alternate chapters share each boy's perspective with humor and pathos, capturing their sense of profound isolation and fear until they meet each other. Soon Max feels inspired to follow Jonnart's example. Through the boys' deepening friendship, Marsh (The Night Tourist) offers a timely and entertaining tale of suspense and intrigue while eloquently conveying the courage necessary to trust another person in a climate rife with fear, suspicion, and ethical dilemmas. Ages 10-14. (Aug.)

People Magazine "Kid Pick"
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books of 2018
New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Books of 2018
"An important and riveting story, masterfully told. Move this one to the top of your to-be-read pile immediately." -Barbara O'Connor, author of WISH and WONDERLAND
"Elegantly structured, plausible in its improbable plot, and studded with moments of rapturous prose. The book ends on a single word that sums up its entire message: Hope." - Elizabeth Wein, The New York Times Book Review
"Nowhere Boy has the authenticity of nonfiction, with all the heart and pulse of a great novel. As a journalist, who has reported on the refugee crisis for years, I was deeply impressed by how real and gripping Marsh's tale felt — from the very start — as a father and son clung to a life raft in rough seas. This should be required reading in middle schools across America." - Jake Halpern, winner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for his series, "Welcome to the New World," in the New York Times.
A "perilous journey, tempered by the striking realism of obstacles refugees face daily." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Starred Review
"This well-crafted and suspenseful novel touches on the topics of refugees and immigrant integration, terrorism, Islam, Islamophobia, and the Syrian war with sensitivity and grace. A captivating book situated in present-day discourse around the refugee crisis." - Kirkus, Starred Review
"Marsh skillfully weaves the historical parallels with a touching story of friendship. She ratchets up the tension and suspense, until it becomes unbearable; readers will fly through the last hundred pages...Thoughtfully touching on immigration, Islamophobia, and terrorism, this novel is a first-purchase. Hands to fans of Alan Gratz's Refugee." - School Library Journal, Starred Review
"Through the boys' deepening friendship, [Katherine Marsh] offers a timely and entertaining tale of suspense and intrigue while eloquently conveying the courage necessary to trust another person in a climate rife with fear, suspicion, and ethical dilemmas." - Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
"A hopeful story about recovery, empathy, and the bravery of young people." - Booklist
"Beautifully done." - People Magazine
"Perfect for classroom reads, this timely novel with its strong male protagonists will foster discussions about friendship, Islam, and complex refugee predicaments throughout the world." - VOYA