Tags
families, immigrants, Iran, Iranian American teenagers, middle school boys, Oklahoma, truthfulness and falsehood
“At the front of a middle school classroom in Oklahoma, a boy named Khosrou (whom everyone calls “Daniel”) stands, trying to tell a story. His story. But no one believes a word he says. To them he is a dark-skinned, hairy-armed boy with a big butt whose lunch smells funny… But Khosrou’s stories, stretching back years, and decades, and centuries, are beautiful, and terrifying, from the moment his family fled Iran in the middle of the night with the secret police moments behind them, back to the sad, cement refugee camps of Italy….and further back still to the Jasmine-scented city of Isfahan.”–Amazon. While this beautifully written novel is aimed at children and young adults, adult readers will be astounded by this true story.
A modern masterpiece – as epic as the Iliad and Shahnameh, and as heartwarming as Charlotte’s Web. It’s for the kids at the lunch table; the heroes of tomorrow, just looking to survive the battle of adolescence. – NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
Supple, sparkling and original. – THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
“A distinctive voice. A rare treasure of a book.” – PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (starred review)
“A journey as intimate as it is epic.”BOOKLIST (starred review)
“A story that soars. Readers will be transported.”- BCCB (starred review)
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