Jasmine WargaOther Words For Home

My mother bought this book 4 me, when I saw it I thought I won't like it, but I was wrong once I started reading it I couldn't put it down even while I was eating, very nice book. I would love to read more like this.

The story was very interesting on the character's story and I highly recommend it for reading.

𝑯𝒐𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈,𝑰’𝒎 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌,𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒅𝒐.Jude. A teenager who is forced out of her motherland because of uprising protests and riots that may put her life along with that of her mother in danger. She's sent away with her mother to a strange new place in America. The name of the city that she can't really pronounce. "Sin-Si-na-tii"Jude. A brave sister and daughter who loves watching classical English movies but finds it difficult to cope up when everyone speaks the same language in a land that feels foreign to her. She wants to fit in but she also doesn't want to forget her home. Is it possible to have two homes and love them both dearly?Other Words for Home shines out in its approach to highlight important issues about religion, relationship, and dreams. It is written in verse form and it is truly magnificent. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and it should be read by everyone. 💜✨

Search for ‘verse novels for middle-grade readers’, and 'Other Words for Home' is bound to come up. It’s a Newbery Honor Book and a New York Times bestseller. However, just like I said when I reviewed Red, White and Whole, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read yet another immigration story.And perhaps that was why it fell short for me. I’ve read too many of these – Inside Out and Back Again, In the Beautiful Country and Red, White and Whole come to mind immediately. While Other Words for Home is a sweet story, I was not drawn into it the way I was into the last two.When unrest begins to mount in Syria, Jude’s family makes a decision. Jude and her mother will move to America, where her uncle lives. But her father and brother stay back. And so begins the story of a family divided by the ocean, struggling to figure out what home is. Jude sometimes feels like her mother doesn’t want her to be happy in America because every time she is impressed by something, her mother is quick to point out that things were equally impressive back home. When Jude confronts her mother about this, she learns how afraid her mother is that the girl will forget home even as she makes a new one for herself.A sensitively told story with a relatable protagonist, Other Words for Home is about the struggle to balance the past and the present. In fact, it is all about balances – guilt and gratitude, fear and hope, finding family and losing family. I loved the themes of the story and the optimism that underlines the telling of it. More, I rejoiced in the verse form of the novel, a form that makes it succinct yet powerful.

“Other Words for Home” is truly a beautiful book in every sense that I would urge everyone to read. The story traces the life of Jude, who moves from Syria to America with her mother leaving behind her father and her brother Issa and the place she calls home.“There is an Arabic proverb that says:She makes you feellike a loaf of freshly baked bread.It is said aboutthe nicestkindestpeople.The type of peoplewho help yourise.”Written in verse, Other Words For Home is divided into six fractions where we see Jude come face to face with the fact that her country is changing and might not be the same ever again. Before Jude could understand what it means to live in her home torn apart by war she arrives at Cinncinati, with her mother in search of a new life. Jude never fails to awe you with her innocence and how she holds on to hope every step of her life is just inspirational. Every character be it Issa, who finds his place fighting for his country or Sarah, who yearns to learn to more about her father’s heritage and Layla, who struggles to belong is a story that someone can resonate with.Jasmine Warga paints a mesmerizing picture with words as we see Jude learning many new things, forming bonds with her new friends and family and growing. Laced with heartbreak yet brimming with hope, Other Words For Home is a middle grade book that is necessary and timely.

I recently read The shape of thunder and loved the heartfelt and captivating writing style of Jasmine Warga, so I decided to pick up the author’s debut middle grade novel Other words for home which won a John Newbery Honor, a Walter Honor for Young Readers, and a Charlotte Huck Honor.Other words for home is a beautiful book written in verse about Jude, a twelve year old courageous girl who flees Syria with her pregnant mother leaving behind her father and older brother, to live with her uncle in America since there is conflict and unrest brewing in her home country. It follows the life of Jude as she faces an identity crisis and struggles to learn and understand the colloquial words used in conversations, fit in at her new school where she is made fun of and labelled “Middle Eastern”, learn a new culture and adjust to her new surroundings. Jude’s journey of standing up what she believes in, pursing her dreams and embracing herself was beautiful.The author has captivated Jude’s confidence, emotions, vulnerability and insecurities perfectly in her writing.I enjoyed the simple free verse writing style of the author in this book which portrayed the difficulties in the life of a refugee - losing a home, sometimes family members and finding a new place to call home. The novel also introduces war, politics, immigration and racism to young readers without being overbearing. Though I did feel that the plot and the ending could have been better I thoroughly enjoyed reading this heartwarming book.