Refugee
Alan Gratz (2017)
“Three children. Three crises. Seventy years apart. One devastating truth about what it means to flee everything you know.”
For Students
Because the news has been telling you that refugees are a problem to be solved, and this novel will make you feel — not think, feel — that they are people. It will also make you ask why the same crisis keeps happening, why the same countries keep saying no, and whether anything has actually changed between 1939 and now. It's also, frankly, one of the most gripping plots you'll read in middle school — you will not be bored.
For Teachers
Structurally rich enough to teach narrative technique (parallel structure, present tense, convergence), historically substantial enough to anchor units on WWII, the Cold War, and the contemporary world simultaneously, and emotionally direct enough to work with reluctant readers. The author's note is a model of research transparency. The controversies around the book are themselves teachable: why do some parents not want their children to read this? What does that tell you?
Why It Still Matters
The refugee crisis is not a historical event. It's happening right now, in different countries, for different reasons, with the same results. This novel argues, through story rather than argument, that our response to displacement is a choice — and that choices made in 1939 and 1994 are still producing consequences today. If you've ever wondered how ordinary people let catastrophic things happen, this book has a quiet, specific answer.