Perma-Bound Edition ©2019 | -- |
Publisher's Hardcover ©2018 | -- |
Paperback ©2019 | -- |
Afghan Americans. Juvenile fiction.
Mothers and sons. Juvenile fiction.
Afghan Americans. Fiction.
Mothers and sons. Fiction.
A gripping story about two brave children on the run in the Big Apple.This timely story features two American children: Jason, the son of a single mom from Afghanistan who has overstayed her visa in America, and Max, a white American girl who has epilepsy. Serendipity brings the two children together and leads to an exciting but nerve-wracking adventure around New York City. The heroic protagonists exhibit a good balance between independent problem-solving and making mistakes. In Jason's present-tense narration, Hashimi creatively explores the similarities and differences in the two children's lives: how they grew up, their relationships with their families, the ways they use their wits, and their levels of trust. She also provides a nuanced and accessible perspective on the complex issues of illegal immigration and childhood epilepsy. Jason's sole family member disappears for reasons he could never have contemplated, and Max is a witty, confident girl who longs to be considered just like everyone else. Leveraging her pediatrician expertise but without didacticism, Hashimi also shares what people should do if they see someone having an epileptic attack. An important book with a well-crafted plot that is sure to linger several days after readers finish it. (author's note) (Fiction. 8-12)
ALA Booklist (Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)Jason D. Riazi gets the shock of his life when his mother reveals the story of how she came to America from Afghanistan, and how she once was legal but now is undocumented. Soon after, Jason witnesses what he fears most: men with badges taking his mother away. Not knowing what will happen next, he takes the train to New York City to find his mother's friend, "Auntie" Seema. Arriving at Penn Station, Jason has an accident that puts him in the hospital, where he makes friends with Max, another patient. Anxious for freedom and adventure, Max encourages Jason to bust out of the hospital with her and find his aunt. Escapades abound due to mistaken locations, evading the police, misunderstandings, and getting lost. Jason's strong narrative voice illustrates the plight of a family torn apart and what it means to be an American child of an undocumented parent. His uncertainty about the future is palpable, and the kids' need to stay under the authorities' radar mirrors the dilemma of thousands of families in our country.
Horn BookEmerson's body uncontrollably floats in the air at random. He dreads spending the summer at Camp Outlier for RISK kids ("Recurring Incidents of the Strange Kind"), but it turns out to be a life-changing time of adventure and camaraderie among kids who time travel, become partially invisible, etc. Typical camp pranks combine with deeper issues of identity, destiny, and friendship in this compelling story.
Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)A gripping story about two brave children on the run in the Big Apple.This timely story features two American children: Jason, the son of a single mom from Afghanistan who has overstayed her visa in America, and Max, a white American girl who has epilepsy. Serendipity brings the two children together and leads to an exciting but nerve-wracking adventure around New York City. The heroic protagonists exhibit a good balance between independent problem-solving and making mistakes. In Jason's present-tense narration, Hashimi creatively explores the similarities and differences in the two children's lives: how they grew up, their relationships with their families, the ways they use their wits, and their levels of trust. She also provides a nuanced and accessible perspective on the complex issues of illegal immigration and childhood epilepsy. Jason's sole family member disappears for reasons he could never have contemplated, and Max is a witty, confident girl who longs to be considered just like everyone else. Leveraging her pediatrician expertise but without didacticism, Hashimi also shares what people should do if they see someone having an epileptic attack. An important book with a well-crafted plot that is sure to linger several days after readers finish it. (author's note) (Fiction. 8-12)
Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)Hashimi (
Gr 5-8 Twelve-year-old Jason D. Riazi is on the run from his New Jersey home after his mother, an undocumented Afghani immigrant, is apprehended by police. Hoping to find his Auntie Seema in New York City, he takes the train to Penn Station, but, fainting from hunger on the platform and suffering a concussion, he lands in the hospital where he fakes amnesia to keep his identity secret. Befriended by a young female patient, Max, who claims her superior brain is being studied, the two escape into the city streets only to be caught up in the throng of the New York Marathon. When Max collapses in an epileptic seizure, Jason must continue alone on his quest for safety. The familiar trope of two adolescents escaping from a hospital to pursue an adventure is enhanced by the timely theme of American identity amid the immigrant experience and is nicely textured with details of the New York cityscape. The narrative is peppered with riddles Jason has learned from his mother, and his questioning of his "Americanness" and Max's rebellion against her parents' overprotectiveness will resonate with readers. The story is fast-paced and engaging with sympathetic protagonists who raise thought-provoking contemporary issues. VERDICT An absorbing read and a good choice for discussion. Marie Orlando, formerly at Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY
Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)
Starred Review for Publishers Weekly
ALA Booklist (Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)
Horn Book
Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)
Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)
School Library Journal (Thu Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2018)
Wilson's Children's Catalog
Wilson's Junior High Catalog
This middle grade novel by bestselling author Nadia Hashimi tells the affecting story of an Afghan-American boy who believes his mother has been deported. For fans of Inside Out and Back Again and Counting by 7s.
Jason has just learned that his Afghan mother has been living illegally in the United States since his father was killed in Afghanistan. Although Jason was born in the US, it’s hard to feel American now when he’s terrified that his mother will be discovered—and that they will be separated.
When he sees his mother being escorted from her workplace by two officers, Jason feels completely alone. He boards a train with the hope of finding his aunt in New York City, but as soon as he arrives in Penn Station, the bustling city makes him wonder if he’s overestimated what he can do.
After an accident lands him in the hospital, Jason finds an unlikely ally in a fellow patient. Max, a whip-smart girl who wants nothing more than to explore the world on her own terms, joins Jason in planning a daring escape out of the hospital and into the skyscraper jungle—even though they both know that no matter how big New York City is, they won’t be able to run forever.