A Long Way from Home

August 1, 2012
Stranded for several days in Gander, Newfoundland, after American airspace was closed in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Rabia, a 14-year-old Afghan girl, and 11-year-old New Yorker Colin unexpectedly connect. Walsh has used facts of the extraordinary welcome some 6,000 grounded air passengers received as unexpected guests of the surprised islanders as background for the stories of two young people: the Afghan refugee, escaping with what remains of her family, and the American sixth-grader, worried about the possible dissolution of his. It is the open friendliness of Canadian sixth-grader Leah that connects the two. As many Americans did, Colin reacts first with hostility, mindlessly connecting Rabia's Afghan nationality and Muslim faith with the acts of Osama bin Laden's followers. Learning her story makes him more sympathetic. And, though somewhat confusingly told from different points of view, this is essentially Rabia's story. There are flashbacks to earlier, happier times before she lost a foot to a land mine, her father was arrested, her oldest brother died, and her second brother was sent away. When her mother has a heart attack in Gander, Rabia rightly feels overwhelmed. Happily, responsible adults step in. Part refugee story, part 9/11 remembrance, this is a welcome addition to a small shelf. (Historical fiction. 10-14)

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November 1, 2012

Gr 5-8-Through the help of an aid organization, 13-year-old Rabia escapes the violence of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan with her mother and brother and finds herself headed toward a new life in America, on an airplane with the unfortunate arrival date of September 11, 2001. After the attacks on the World Trade Center, U.S. air space is closed, and the plane, along with dozens of other flights, is diverted to Newfoundland. While Rabia ultimately reaches her California destination, the book centers on her time in Gander, where she encounters both the kindness of the local community, who rally around the stranded passengers, and the anti-Muslim sentiment of Colin, an American boy on her flight. As Rabia is clearly the protagonist, the chapter-to-chapter perspective shift seems unnecessary, and some of the added personal drama is overdone (Rabia's mother suffers a heart attack and is rushed to a hospital, and Colin grapples with the possibility of his parents' divorce). Additionally, Walsh's characters have moments of slipping into cultural stereotypes that seem a little too easy. The book's strength lies in the importance of the Afghani perspective, as well as in the explanation of the little-covered circumstances of travelers diverted to Newfoundland on 9/11. The narrative is compelling, and readers will find themselves rooting for Rabia's life to take a happier turn. This novel helps broaden the experiences covered in the small coterie of 9/11 books and will appeal to readers looking for information about that event, as well as those interested in books that include a South Asian voice.Joanna Sondheim, Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School, New York City

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