Wild Poppies

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In Haya Saleh's Wild Poppies, we follow two Syrian refugee brothers, Omar and Sufyan, living in a refugee camp during the midst of the Syrian war. When the boys' father was killed, 14 year old Omar was left in charge as "the man of the house," however he finds himself at constant odds with his little brother Sufyan, who finds Omar to be weak and sensitive, not worthy or capable of protecting the family.

BooksNBowls Determined to help take care of his sick mother and little sister and finding Omar insufficient at doing so, Sufyan finds himself tricked into joining The Falcons of Truth, a violent extremist military group who steal little boys from their homes and brainwash them into fighting for their cause. Meanwhile, when their refugee camp is bombed, Omar manages to escape with two other teenagers. From there, the story bounces back and forth between 11mo

BooksNBowls the two boys on their journey to find their way back to each other. A heartbreaking, harrowing story of survival, the violent realities of war, and what it's like living under an oppressive regime. Just under 200 pages and with the audiobook about 4 hours long, this is a short, yet impactful read, that can be completed in one sitting or one afternoon. Despite the heavy topics discussed, I think this would be a great middle school read 11mo

BooksNBowls 7th or 8th graders to learn about the realities of war and the affects they can have on children and families. It was a tiny bit rushed towards the end, but I was still left feeling devastated for what these children went through. It's hard to imagine that this story could be real, but it is and it happens every day to families and children in many parts of the world overtaken by religious extremists. This story will stay with me. 4 stars 11mo

BooksNBowls #NetGalleyArc 11mo

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