Flying Over Water
AUTHOR
ILLUSTRATOR
SERIES
TYPE
AGE
Children's - 3rd-7th Grade, Age 8-12
READABILITY
5.4
PAGES
272 p. ;
KEYWORDS
Acceptance, Achievement, Authenticity, Beauty, Bravery, Change, Compassion, Cooperation, Courage, Critical Thinking, Determination, Dignity, Encouragement, Family, Friendship, Grace, Help, Individuality, Integrity, Interpretation, Kindness, Overcoming, Peace, Perseverance, Perspective, Respect, Selflessness, Sharing, Trust
CATEGORIES
SUBJECTS
PUBLISHER
Make Way For Books
An American girl, Jordyn befriends Noura, a Syrian refugee, when she moves to Tampa, Florida. The girls are first linked by simple acts of kindness, but soon they are sharing their own personal traumas and fears with compassion. Jordyn’s mom has recently suffered a miscarriage and is grieving. Noura grieves lost friends in the Syrian civil war, one to drowning during an escape. Now, even in America, Noura must face persecution as a Moslem. Capitalizing on each other’s strengths gives them opportunity to conquer these sorrows while fully opening their hearts to other students suffering religious persecution.
Publisher Summary
N.H. Senzai and Shannon Hitchcock expertly craft the intersection of the lives of two girls-one, a Muslim fleeing civil war, the other, an American from the South-as they are forced to examine their beliefs and the true meaning of friendship in the midst of the president's 2017 Muslim ban.Twelve-year-old Noura Alwan's family is granted asylum in the United States, after spending two years in a Turkish refugee camp, having fled war-torn Aleppo. They land in Tampa, Florida, on January 30, 2017, just days after the president restricted entry into the US from nations with a Muslim majority population.Twelve-year-old Jordyn Johnson is a record-breaking swimmer, but hasn't swum well since her mom had a miscarriage during one of her meets. Her family has volunteered to help the Alwan family through their church. She knows very few people of Arab descent or who practice Islam.The girls' lives intersect at Bayshore Middle School where Jordyn serves as the Alwan children's school ambassador. Noura knows that her family is safe from the civil unrest in her home country, but is not prepared for the adversity she now faces on American soil. Jordyn is sympathetic to Noura's situation, but there are other members of their Florida community who see the refugees' presence to be a threat to their way of life.While the president's Muslim ban tests the resolve and faith of many, it is friendship that stands strong against fear and hatred.Award winners N.H. Senzai and Shannon Hitchcock have combined their talents to craft a heartrending Own Voices story told in dual perspectives.