Sami and his grandfather, Baba, are refugees from Afghanistan who have recently been relocated to Boston after journeying (for over three years) through Iraq, Greece, and Turkey before finally making it to the US. Baba earns money by playing his rebab — a traditional Afghani stringed instrument at a nearby “T” stop. While Sami is holding the rebab, a teenager rips it out of his hands and runs off with it. Sami is devastated at causing such pain to his Baba that he works out a solution to getting the rebab back through a series of trades with the help of his new friends. The depiction of a traumatized child refugee is so real and painful and the Afghani cultural references ring true. The author pulls her punches a little on the depiction of the bullies and criminals that Sami encounters. While the hateful language of the bully was cursorily dealt with by authorities, that storyline feels unresolved. The bully would probably not simply walk away. Perhaps the author will write a follow-up (please!) and explore this relationship a bit more.

Reviewed by Karen Sandlin Silverman, Mt. Ararat Middle School, Topsham