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The Unwanted: Stories of Syrian Refugees

Using composites based on real Syrian refugees, Brown’s graphic novel offers a chronology of recent events in Syria under the Bashar al-Assad regime that have led to civil war and the great waves of Syrian refugees streaming into Turkey and Europe. Tens of thousands are stuck (perhaps forever) in refugee camps where conditions are miserable. Others have made perilous journeys, only to be turned away by nations that are closing their borders. Although he never focuses on one person or family for very long, Brown humanizes his subjects, and makes readers feel compassion, if not outright anger at the way they are being treated. This powerful account is hard-hitting and, at times, painful to read, but it is a critical story for our times and will provide teens with information and insight into what’s going on behind the headlines of current news stories. ©2019 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Illustrated by Don Brown

CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 13 and older
Age Range: Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13) Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Formats: Graphic Novel Substantial Narrative Non-Fiction
Subjects: 21st Century Empathy and Compassion Muslim People Refugees Syrians and Syrian Americans War World History
Diversity subjects: Arab Asian Middle East Muslim

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publish Year: 2018
Pages: 103
ISBN: 9781328810151

CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 741.5 Brown