This was a wonderful and touching book about a boy Kek who comes from Africa to winter in Minnesota because his father and brother have been killed and his mother is missing. He tries to adjust to life in the US where there is such abundance of everything while knowing back in Africa people are dying and starving. It's beautifully written and I cried at the end. It's one of those juvenile novels that is just a pleasure for adults as well. I highly recommend this book. ( )

In her first stand-alone book, Applegate (the Animorphs series) effectively uses free verse to capture a Sudanese refugee's impressions of America and his slow adjustment. After witnessing the murders of his father and brother, then getting separated from his mother in an African camp, Kek alone believes that his mother has somehow survived. The boy has traveled by flying boat to Minnesota in winter to live with relatives who fled earlier. An onslaught of new sensations greets Kek (This cold is like claws on my skin, he laments), and ordinary sights unexpectedly fill him with longing (a lone cow in a field reminds him of his father's herd; when he looks in his aunt's face, I see my mother's eyes/ looking back at me). Prefaced by an African proverb, each section of the book marks a stage in the narrator's assimilation, eloquently conveying how his initial confusion fades as survival skills improve and friendships take root. Kek endures a mixture of failures (he uses the clothes washer to clean dishes) and victories (he lands his first paying job), but one thing remains constant: his ardent desire to learn his mother's fate. Precise, highly accessible language evokes a wide range of emotions and simultaneously tells an initiation story. A memorable inside view of an outsider. Ages 10-14

This poetic novel is written in free verse, along with an African proverb to preface each chapter. Initially, I wasn't convinced by the innovative style, but was quickly converted by the synergy of the language and the plot. I recommend this powerful coming-of-age story to middle school readers and beyond because of the accessible language and emotions. ( )

This book made me laugh and it made me cry. It was excellently written in a verse form and I loved the similies the main character used to describe the strange things he found in this country (ex. "cooking fire" p.87 is a stove.) The author did a great job portraying the thoughts and frustrations of a young Sudanese boy trying to live a new life in a new world. I think most immigrants from almost any nation could somehow relate to this book. Although I enjoyed reading it as an adult, I don't know how many junior high students would be able to appreciate it as much as I did (unless, of course, they're immigrants.)

Kek describes his experience arriving in America after leaving a relocation camp in Sudan. His dad and brother were killed in the violence and his mom is missing. Kek tries to understand this new country after arriving in Minnesota during the middle of winter. Written in verse, the language is poetic and beautiful. Fifth grader Kek remains optimistic and has a way of connecting with people, carving out a new life for himself in spite of heartbreaking and nightmarish experiences endured in his young life.
This book is touching and poignant. I loved it! ( )