The Middle East & North Africa
Syria
Wild Poppies
By Haya Saleh
Wild Poppies. Haya Saleh. Translated by M. Lynx Qualey. Levine Querido, 2023. Originally published as شقائق النعمان in Arabic by Dar al-Yasmine in Amman. ISBN 9781646142019. 178 p. (Ages 10-14). Fiction.
Oscar works to keep his family intact after their displacement during the Syrian war and the death of his father. He faces a new challenge when his younger brother becomes a child soldier. Heavy themes are delivered in a way appropriate for a mature young audience. The Arabic version was the 2020 Winner of the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature in the YA category and was featured in an appeal by ArabLit Quarterly to translate the book into English. [ea]