Refugee

 A middle school novel that connects both historical fiction and the current crisis in Syria, Gratz has tied together three refugee stories.  We meet Josef, a Jewish boy in 1940’s Nazi Germany who is fleeing the possibility of being captured and sent to a concentration camp; we meet Isabel, a girl from 1990’s Cuba who sets out on a raft hoping to make it to the United States and a better, safer life; we meet Mahmoud, a boy from Syria in 2015 who is fleeing the danger and violence of his country for safety and survival.  Three refugees from different parts of the world at different times in history tell their story of seeking refuge and a new homeland. Each story vastly different. Each story shockingly the same. Recommended grades 4 and up.