Other Words for Home: A Newbery Honor Award Winner

🤭🙌🏽 My fourth book of the year… thoroughly devoured in a few hours. 🇸🇾 Other Words for Home 🇺🇸 by Jasmine Warga. ✍️ Wow - this was such a great read and loved how it is written in verse, which makes it very accessible to Y6 and upwards. There are subtle references to conflict and the racism that Muslims face, but it’s not too violent and perfect for upper key stage two and beyond. 🧕 The story follows Jude, a fearless girl who has to leave her home in Syria and start again in America. Her brother and father stay behind, while Jude and her pregnant mum flee for safety. As the story progresses, she is repressed by those around her, but she chooses not to be ‘skety’ and to be strong. I love a strong female protagonist and adored Jude so much and her positive impact on others. Also loved Miles. 🖤 🌙 ❤️ There are so many great extracts, which I’ve included (swipe right) for you to get a snippet. Highly recommend 🧕🧕🧕🧕🧕 / 🧕🧕🧕🧕🧕

enjoyable and thought provoking read

I haven't read many Middle Grade novels, but this book made me want to read much more. It's a novel written in verse, it's really short and easy to get through, and it deals with so many important things. It's a story about identity, family, and figuring out what home means to you. It's so powerful and touching. I absolutely recommend it no matter what age you are!

This was a real thought-provoking and heart-warming book. The story of Jude who has to flee her homeland Syria with her mother to live with her Uncle in America; leaving her father and her brother behind. Jude struggles to find a place in America whilst retaining her home of Syria and her roots. I listened to the audiobook so it brought it even more to life through the narrator. It's a beautiful story but I did feel it lost some of it's focus in the later half and there wasn't really any ups and downs that Jude faced. I think it could have been interesting if they juxtaposed Jude's story with her friend Fatima that was still living in Syria as it could have added another layer to the series. Still a beautiful story though and would recommend it!

This was an emotional and heartwarming story about a girl called Jude who moves with her mother from Syria to America to escape the violence and rising tensions in her home country. It is written in verse and gives a poignant insight into the thoughts and feelings of the main character as she processes the changes in her life and comes to understand her new identity in this new country. There were a lot of touching moments that made me tear up and also lots of times that made me smile. I'm so pleased to have had this chance to see the turmoil of thoughts and emotions being experienced by someone in Jude's position and I think that this is an important story and everyone will find something useful to take away from reading it.

Love this middle grade book. SO MANY LESSONS. Really captures what it's like to be an immigrant and the difficulty that it comes with. POV of a young girl - so many issues that are touched on. This book should be read in schools. Recommend for younger and older readers alike!

Bought for my 11 year old. She absolutely loved it and has recommended it to all her friends. My daughter is probably a few years younger than the target audience but a great read nonetheless.

Le livre se lit très facilement et rapidement mais le format m'a laissé perplexe au début bien que ce soit fait exprès. Il n'y a pas de paragraphes complets, les phrases sont coupées en plein milieu des phrases pour passer la ligne. Au début c'est bizarre. Puis on s'y fait. Et ça rajoute à la fin, des emphases sur les mots, les émotions ou les situations. Mais j'ai cru me faire avoir au début. Ça change un peu. J'ai bien aimé le thème du bouquin qui est assez rare encore.

🌟 “I cover my head not because I am ashamed forced or hiding. But because I am proud and want to be seen as I am.” Other Words for Home, Jasmine Warga. . 🌟 I do not usually read Middle Grade or Young Adult but once in a while, I like to take a sneak peek just to see how the other half lives. Also, the fascination I have with how to do children process trauma and manifest it into their lives which might seem oblivious to many. If you have a teenager in your life, and you are searching for books to teach them empathy and tolerance regardless of their religion, gender, and ethnicity, then I highly recommend this book. . 🌟 We often talk about war and its ramifications, its pre-existing turbulence, and future implications but it is hardly contemplated what principles are we instilling into the juveniles. This is the book that perhaps has raised the subject unambiguously. Or else often the books like these which highlight such important sensitive issues are met with bizarre interpretations. . 🌟 Other Words for Home is about a twelve-year-old Syrian girl, Jude, who just not had to leave her home but is forced to separate from her father and brother. She moves to the United States with her mother and is instantly condemned to an identity crisis and religious condescension. Wagra has fluidly paid homage to the attribute that Hijab, or covering of one’s head is a personal choice for many. She disbands the concept of Islamophobia and beautifully conveys everyone to not stereotype. . 🌟 My favorite thing about this book is the fact that it represents children, the age group we often tend to forget or misapprehend. We mistake their rapid physical healing to mental healing. We take their accommodating and adjusting age for-granted. They are as bit of humans as the adults are. They do not know malice or animosity. We introduce them to these feelings. We teach them these words. Please be mindful of how you are around them, how you are treating them, or else the vicious cycle of traumatization will never cease to end.

My daughter loved this book! Here's what she thought: "I loved how they explained what Jude's life was like in Syria and then how it changed in the USA. I loved hearing about her and her family's experiences in the US, and how she became close with her cousin after challenges. I also felt bad when she had to leave her best friend in Syria, and her brother and dad, who she missed so much. I also liked hearing about her experience with wearing a Hijab. I'm from a different culture, and I learned a lot." - CecCe, 8 years old

One of my favorite books, have read it multiple times and I cry every time… Highly recommend it!

𝙄𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 ⁣ 𝙀𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝 ⁣ 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜, ⁣ 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜, ⁣ 𝙞𝙣 𝘼𝙧𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙘, ⁣ 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 ⁣ 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 ⁣ 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙮. ⁣ 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤 ⁣ 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙 ⁣ 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡, ⁣ 𝙣𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙪𝙖𝙜𝙚.⁣ ⁣ All the stars, hugs, ice cream cones, and applause for this gorgeous, heartwarming, important, perfect, middle grade book written in free verse. ⁣ ⁣ In her acknowledgments, Jasmine Warga said, “It wasn’t until I found Jude’s voice that the book was really born. I wrote Jude for my twelve-year-old self, who never saw a brown girl in a book who was proud of her family and where she came from. A brown girl with hopes and dreams of her own.” The voice Jasmine found for her main character, Jude, is astonishingly authentic, wonderfully observant, and filled with love and hope and strength. Jude’s voice combined with the free verse blew me away for its lack of pretension, naturalness, and profound beauty. I was worried that the free verse would feel forced, especially coming out of a twelve year old’s mouth, but instead it’s surprisingly organic and easy to read. ⁣ ⁣ This is a Syrian refugee story that reveals what should be obvious: that refugees want what everyone wants: to be happy, to be safe, and to be themselves. ⁣ ⁣Jude’s story is told with humor and heart and understanding and joy. It’s possibly my favorite book I’ve read so far this year.