The Middle East & North Africa
Israel
Adam & Thomas
By Aharon Appelfeld, Jeffrey M. Green (Translator), Philippe Dumas (Illustrator)
Adam & Thomas. Aharon Appelfeld. Translated by Jeffrey M. Green. Illustrated by Philippe Dumas. Seven Stories Press, 2015. Originally published as Yalda Shelo Minhaolam Hazé (A Girl from Another World) in Hebrew by Kinneret Zmora-Bitan Dvir, in Modi’in, Israel, in 2013. ISBN 9781609806347. 149 p. (Ages 10 and up). Fiction.
It’s World War II in Poland, and the Jews have been rounded up to live in a ghetto. Adam and Thomas, two nine-year-olds, have been brought separately to the forest by their mothers to hide for the day. The boys find one another and join forces to survive for months, since neither mother returns that day. Adam “knows this forest and everything that’s in it” and Thomas is a great reader who does well in school. They survive by learning from each other and working together; benefiting from the kindness of others; and, in turn, helping others as they can. Master artist Philippe Dumas evokes the changing moods of the boys and the forest in sensitive ink-and-wash illustrations. More of a meditation on how to be in the world than a straightforward account of survival, the narrative raises philosophical questions of faith and more through the boys’ conversations. [ayg]
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]
Latin America
Venezuela
Different: A Story of the Spanish Civil War
By Mónica Montañés, Lawrence Schimel, Eva Sánchez Gómez (Illustrator)
Different: A Story of the Spanish Civil War. Mónica Montañés. Translated by Lawrence Schimel. Illustrated by Eva Sánchez Gómez. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2022. Originally published as Los distintos by Ediciones Ekaré in Barcelona, Spain, in 2020. ISBN 9780802855985. 88 p. (Ages 9-14). Fiction.
Seven-year-old Socorro and nine-year-old Paco live in the aftermath of the civil war that raged across Spain between 1936-1939. Francisco Franco's persecution of anyone who once opposed him has caused their father to flee the country. Paco, Socorro, and their mother must "keep their heads down" until a letter comes from their father containing hope that they may soon reunite as a family in Venezuela. Appendices at the back of the book provide historical context. A Batchelder Honor Book and a USBBY Outstanding International Books selection. [jm]