Zafir

Zafir moves with his family from Dubai to war-torn Syria, and struggles to cope with this new, foreign society. A friend helps him try to fit in and stresses the importance of not questioning or making any waves and Zafir experiences these dangers when his father is arrested for treason, his mother goes in search of him, his grandmother’s house is bombed, and his activist uncle risks his life by using the Internet to present the difficulties in Syria to the outside world. This engaging novel, suitable for grades 6-9, discusses the ethics of war, corrupt government, and plight of refugees. A title in the "Through My Eyes" series, stories of children living in conflict zones, endorsed by UNICEF.