(3) 4-6 Whether confounding, mean-spirited, or occasionally kind, the actions of adults are the focus of these short stories that all begin with a child sitting down. Contemporary-set but diverse in people and place, each story finds a child contemplating various situations in which he or she must make an important choice independent of adults hitherto relied on. An emotional and thought-provoking read.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(2) YA In 1988 Iran, wealthy fifteen-year-old Farrin's burgeoning romance with new girl Sadira leads her to become more involved in the world around her, and eventually leads to the couple's discovery and persecution. Ellis skillfully introduces readers to the social and political backdrop, showing in troubling detail how fear, suspicion, and historical animosities fragment Farrin's world and limit her freedom.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2014

(4) 4-6 In this fable-esque narrative, a spoiled American bully is reincarnated as a cat in the West Bank where she witnesses a conflict that unfolds when two Israeli soldiers occupy a presumed-empty Palestinian house in which a little boy hides. Flashbacks to the cat's human life distract from the compelling, provocative central plot. The thoughtful exploration of an untenable situation provides ample discussion fodder.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) YA When her co-counselor and best friend Casey is accused of murdering a nightmarish camper under their care, Jess is paralyzed by the public spotlight and tries to distance herself from Casey's now-suspicious weirdness. Ellis resoundingly pillories the hypocrisies of media scapegoating, but readers drawn in by the murder mystery aspect will be disappointed by the straightforward conclusion.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(3) YA In this cultural undertaking, Ellis interviews Native American and aboriginal children and teens, ages nine to eighteen. Whether heartwrenching or uplifting, each first-person narrative is compelling, insightful, and incredibly moving. Introductory matter sheds painful light on the historically horrific treatment of North America's indigenous peoples, as well as the challenges they face still. An extensive list of charitable and informational organizations is appended.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) YA In post-Taliban Afghanistan, fifteen-year-old Parvana (The Breadwinner) is captured by Americans and undergoes enhanced interrogation to determine if she's a terrorist; alternating with this account are flashbacks set in her mother's trailblazing girls' school. There are some unexplained specifics and the flashbacks are sometimes difficult to follow, but the cultural details are rich and the story of Afghani women banding together is inspiring.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) YA Twenty-seven children and teens (ages ten to seventeen) living in modern Afghanistan share their stories and their hopes and fears as they consider their futures in a war-torn country. Readers who seek understanding of other cultures, specifically through the experiences of youth, will learn much through the eyes of these children. Reading list, websites. Glos.

Reviewer: Juliet S. King

(1) 4-6 Valli, orphaned and homeless, survives Kolkata's mean streets living by her wits. With telltale symptoms of leprosy, Valli encounters a doctor, who lures her, with masterful tact, to a hospital. Terrified, Valli bolts but eventually returns with hopes for the future. Ellis skillfully folds character, attitudes, and other vital information into Valli's narrative, depicting the survival skills of India's poorest with insight and compassion.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2011

(3) YA The lives of three contemporary immigrant teens intersect aboard a smuggler's boat during an English Channel crossing. Abdul has fled war-torn Baghdad, Rosalia, a Roma, escaped sex trafficking, and Cheslav went AWOL from the Russian military. The teens' stories, revealed through flashbacks, are compelling and discourage easy stereotyping. Even on English soil, harrowing journeys behind them, safe haven for the trio remains realistically uncertain.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) K-3 Canadian children between the ages of nine and nineteen tell of being bullied, with a common thread of ineffective school response. Taken as a whole, the thirty-nine accounts tend to run together; individually, though, the stories are engaging and end with the author's follow-up questions that may serve as thought-provoking discussion points. Black-and-white photos of the children add interest. Reading list, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) 4-6 In this look at young lives shattered by the Iraq War, Iraqi refugees (most living in Jordan) ranging in age from eight to nineteen tell their stories of displacement. The narratives are clear-eyed and wrenching, underscoring the damage that war inflicts on its most innocent victims, the children. A cogent introduction and a map provide context for readers. Websites. Glos.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(2) 4-6 Ellis interviews American and Canadian children whose parents have been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Chapters begin with an introduction; the rest is told in the children's words. Especially interesting is their honesty about what happens when the parent comes home. Readers will empathize with these young people whose lives have been upended by circumstances beyond their control. Websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2008

(3) YA Art Encounters series. A well-known painting and its creator feature in each of these works of historical fiction. In Garden, a Persian girl seeks refuge at an artists' colony. In Mountains, a Chinese American boy goes to live with his uncle in Shanghai. A wounded soldier (Napoleon) works for Jacques-Louis David. The tales are complex and engrossing, with the artists' techniques illuminated in the stories' contexts. Timeline. Review covers these Art Encounters titles: Deep in the Mountains, Jackal in the Garden, and A Brush with Napoleon.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(3) 4-6 Cocalero Novels series. Diego Juárez, who escaped cocaine dealers in I Am a Taxi, is living in the Bolivian countryside with the Ricardo family and looking for a way to return to his parents in Cochabamba. After the army destroys the Ricardos' coca crop, Diego joins a revolt against the powerful government. The action-packed writing is informative without overwhelming readers with politics.

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(2) 4-6 A busload of kids, including budding comic-book artist Jake and his older sister Shoshona, visit their mothers in prison. On the way home, the kids commandeer the bus. Ellis tackles some big issues, but her generally light touch makes the characters relatable; unexpected plot twists keep the action moving, and the current of sadness running through the book is realistic.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2007

(4) YA Meathead jock Jay and Persian Canadian Haroon witness their classmate being arrested as a suspected terrorist. The story alternates between the two boys' first-person perspectives as they try to make sense of the racial tensions and fear swirling around them. Though thought-provoking and sincere, the novel's message of overcoming intolerance is too apparent.

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear

(2) 4-6 In Cochabamba, Bolivia, twelve-year-old Diego's parents are in prison on false drug convictions. Diego gets sucked into working for a drug dealer, which turns into brutal servitude deep in the Bolivian jungle. The book's strength lies in the glimpse of an individual struggling to exist in a society with limited options for escape. An author's note provides background. Glos.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2007

(2) YA In Ellis's thought-provoking discussion-starter, twenty children, ages eight to eighteen, talk about their lives. The children interviewed include Israeli settlers, Israelis opposed to the war, Muslim and Christian Palestinians, and Palestinian refugees. Illustrated with black-and-white photos, the book closes with a list of organizations "trying to make a difference in the situation." Reading list.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2005

(3) 4-6 Shauzia, a proud fourteen-year-old from Kabul living in a refugee camp in Pakistan, takes to the streets of Peshawar dressed as a boy in hopes of earning money to realize her dream of making a life for herself in France. As in the other books in her trilogy, Ellis doesn't neglect to offer strong characterizations while chronicling the devastating realities of war. Glos.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) YA In this highly readable sequel to The Breadwinner, it's wartime in Afghanistan, and thirteen-year-old Parvana must disguise herself as a boy as protection against the Taliban. After she sets off to find her mother and siblings, she forms a makeshift family with a baby and a contrary boy with one leg. Ellis deftly integrates engrossing characterizations with the harsh daily realities of war. Glos.

Reviewer: Nell Beram