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“Yara was only 10 when the Arab Spring began and Syria became the center of a brutal civil war. …Through Yara’s eyes, readers are taken inside Syria—and through the emotions of love, loss, and steadfastness in the face of death. …A tribute to refugees that shows them as the courageous survivors of unimaginable trauma.”

—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

Yara’s Spring

Written by Jamal Saeed and Sharon McKay
Illustrated by Nahid Kazemi
Published by Annick Press

Coming of age against all odds in the midst of the Arab Spring.

Growing up in East Aleppo, Yara’s childhood has long been shadowed by the coming revolution. But when the Arab Spring finally arrives at Yara’s doorstep, it is worse than even her Nana imagined: sudden, violent, and deadly. When rescuers dig Yara out from under the rubble that was once her family’s home, she emerges to a changed world. Her parents and Nana are gone, and her brother, Saad, can’t speak—struck silent by everything he’s seen. Now, with her friend Shireen and Shireen’s charismatic brother, Ali, Yara must try to find a way to safety. With danger around every corner, Yara is pushed to her limits as she discovers how far she’ll go for her loved ones—and for a chance for freedom.

Crafted through the focused lens of Jamal Saeed’s own experiences in Syria and brought to life with acclaimed author Sharon E. McKay, Yara’s Spring is a story of coming of age against all odds and the many kinds of love that bloom even in the face of war

Primary ISBN: 9781773214405
Publication Date: October 2020
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback
Middle Grade, Age 11 or older

Community Represented:

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Setting: Syria (Aleppo), Jordan, Canada

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: Refugee, Refugee Camp

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

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