When fourteen-year-old Liyanne Abboud, her younger brother, and her parents move from St. Louis to a new home between Jerusalem and the Palestinian village where her father was born, they face many changes and must deal with the tensions between Jews and Palestinians. Fourteen-year-old Liyana Abboud loves to hear her father call her habibi--Arabic for "darling". But she's not prepared for her family's decision to move from St. Louis to Jerusalem. This provocative first novel from the acclaimed poet builds a bridge to the Arab world, introduces a family readers won't soon forget, and offers a hope for peace.
How it feels
MoodBittersweet
How it reads
Character focusSmall ensembleLarge ensemble
Worth knowing
Written forMiddle grade
When and where
ThemesFamily
How do you feel?