A STONE IN MY HAND
Cathryn Clinton
illustrated by Peter Johnson
Candlewick Press
Fiction
ISBN: 0763613886
192 pages

Read an Excerpt

Eleven year-old Malaak Abed Atieh lives with her mother, her older sister Hend and her older brother Hamid in Gaza City. It's been a month since their father left to look for work as a mechanic in Israel, only to disappear. Every day she climbs up to the roof and waits for him, imagining that she can fly to the prison cell where she is convinced he's being held. She hardly speaks to anybody except her pet bird Abdo.

As tensions mount between the Israelis and Palestinians, Malaak realizes she can't remain in her world of silence anymore. Each day becomes a struggle for her when her mother tells her that her father is dead. It gets even harder when Hamid tells her that he and his friend, Tariq, have become involved in a hate group. When the rest of the family finds out, they know he's in danger and try to get him out of the hate group with no success. Their worst fears are realized when Hamid gets shot in the head one day and has to go to the hospital. Will Hamid remain alive or will he die like his father?

This book made me feel sorry for all of the people who are experiencing war in their home countries. Nobody should have to go through that kind of turmoil in their lives. If I were Hamid, I would not have joined the hate group because violence does not solve problems. What would you have done if you were Hamid? If you like to read moving stories, read this book to find out what happens to Malaak and her family.

   --- Reviewed by Ashley Hartlaub

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