[STAR] "Heart-piercing… Babak’s palpable love for his sister emphasizes the novel’s suggestion that there is power in kindness, even in the face of tragedy. Lush details and taut plotting distinguish this immersive, profound offering.”
"A fictional story so utterly real the reader feels it must be true... The setting here — mountains, brush and beleaguered cities — is vivid and gritty. The characters, especially Sana and Ben, are so authentic you can hear their breath when they speak. The plot is as tight as an ocean-bound ship. But the glory of this book is the way it reaches across cultures and time to find an essential truth: 'What we want others to know, we must teach them.' Superb."
“Babak and Sana are immediately sympathetic and memorable, two children with whom readers can connect among the overwhelming global impacts that the long and brutal war had on millions of people. All too human interactions, like bickering brought on by exhaustion and hunger, deepen the connection that readers will likely have with the pair as the siblings grapple with new situations wildly outside of their comfort zones… does fantastic work contextualizing details to orient readers to an Iranian perspective within the more familiar, macro look at the war.”
[STAR] "Gripping… a remarkably intimate story of a neutral nation caught between warring powers, seamlessly integrating philosophical questions about God, family, and cross-cultural understanding and suggesting that truly listening to those different from us can be a sacred and transformative act… A compelling testament to the power of education and empathy to light the way in even the most perilous circumstances."
[STAR] “The artfully detailed setting and strong values depicted through Babak’s endeavor to teach others will leave readers inspired. A powerful novel about an often-forgotten region and era that highlights the power of education through shared communication to create bonds.”
The National Book Foundation continues to honor the best in American literature with the prestigious National Book Awards, and the longlist for 2025 has finally been revealed. With hopeful narratives, eye-opening personal memoirs and inspirational fables for young readers, here we celebrate the wonders of the written word. Fiction Nonfiction Poetry Young People’s Literature Translated […]