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49th out of 56 books
—
8 voters
Samir and Yonatan
Winner of the Mildred Batchelder Award, this very human novel of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is both touching and timely
Nothing could be more frightening to Samir, a Palestinian boy, than to be where he is now: an Israeli hospital ward, trapped among the very people he blames for his brother's death. Amid this explosive atmosphere, Samir begins to learn about the Isra...more
Nothing could be more frightening to Samir, a Palestinian boy, than to be where he is now: an Israeli hospital ward, trapped among the very people he blames for his brother's death. Amid this explosive atmosphere, Samir begins to learn about the Isra...more
Paperback, 192 pages
Published
November 1st 2002
by Blue Sky Press
(first published 2000)
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This tale--of a child growing up in a Palestinian village in Israel who must endure a stay in the "Jewish hospital" for surgery to his knee--was definitely written with an agenda. But it's an agenda that is admirable.
At times fanciful to the point of magical realism, and at other times harrowing, the book is targeted for children 11 and up to send a message of peace. I have been very, very disappointed by the books I have read on the Israel-Palestinian conflict (especially for that age range) i...more
At times fanciful to the point of magical realism, and at other times harrowing, the book is targeted for children 11 and up to send a message of peace. I have been very, very disappointed by the books I have read on the Israel-Palestinian conflict (especially for that age range) i...more
Samir is a young Palestinian boy, terrified by the idea of being sent to an Israeli hospital for treatment. Already tormented by the difficult situation in his home village and the death of his brother, he now will have to share a room with children who he was taught to consider "the enemy". In the course of his stay, he experiences healing to both body and soul. I had never read a children's book addressing this difficult conflict and appreciated that the author did not point fingers or offer e...more
Summary: Samir injures his knee and is sent to a Jewish hospital for surgery. While there, he meets the other kids in Room 6, all of whom are Jewish and all of whom he gets to know.
Response: This is a quiet and thoughtful novel, expressing the memories, hopes, and fears of a young Palestinian boy, and it is not a voice I have ever read before. The writing is respectful and honest, and it feels different from other young adult novels i have read, perhaps because it is not only about a life so dif...more
Response: This is a quiet and thoughtful novel, expressing the memories, hopes, and fears of a young Palestinian boy, and it is not a voice I have ever read before. The writing is respectful and honest, and it feels different from other young adult novels i have read, perhaps because it is not only about a life so dif...more
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This book was written by an Israeli author in her native language of Hebrew.
Samir and his family are Arabs and live on the West Bank. Samir has been raised to hate Israelis and his family blames the Israelis for his brother’s death. Samir shatters his knee in a bike accident, and the only place equipped to treat him is a Jewish hospital. Samir finds the hospital staff kind and while in the hospital he shares a room with 4 Israeli children. One of the children, Yonatan, becomes Samir’s friend and...more
Samir and his family are Arabs and live on the West Bank. Samir has been raised to hate Israelis and his family blames the Israelis for his brother’s death. Samir shatters his knee in a bike accident, and the only place equipped to treat him is a Jewish hospital. Samir finds the hospital staff kind and while in the hospital he shares a room with 4 Israeli children. One of the children, Yonatan, becomes Samir’s friend and...more
I received this book as part of a prize I won at a teacher's conference - a box full of books to use with students. As the term is almost ended and we don't have time to read the second book I'd planned with my class, I picked this one up to see if it would be a good one for the last two weeks of class. I enjoyed it, and I think it's an interesting read, but I can't say I absolutely loved it. Not sure how the students will react to it if it transpires I do have enough copies in the box and can u...more
A Palestinian boy comes to terms with his brother's death in this slow-paced but moving novel. In homage to the bravery of his brother Fadi, who was killed by an Israeli soldier, Samir shatters his knee in a bicycle accident. He must have an operation at the "Jews' hospital." Samir's fever plus the sealing off of territories keeps the boy hospitalized for several weeks in a ward with four Israeli children, including Yonatan. The boys' friendship grows throughout the book. The ending is problemat...more
Samir is a Palestinian boy who ends up in a Jewish hospital after breaking his leg on his bicycle. Since his brother died in politically-motivated shooting, Samir's bicycle accident makes him seem like a childish clown; he also feels ashamed to receive the food and niceties in the hospital since his family continues to suffer at home. Samir starts up an unusual friendship with hospital mate Yonatan, a bookish lad who accepts Samir despite his silence. I guess the story is about how we call all b...more
This book takes place before that relative peace during the Clinton administration, representing a world very similar to the one of the conflict today. It also won the honorable mention for the UNESCO prize for Children’s Literature in the Service of Tolerance. The main character, a Palestinian named Samir, broke his knee falling off of a bike and has to stay in an Israeli hospital to await a specialist from America. The story is told in the first person and is also filled with remembrances of e...more
When Palestinian boy Samir breaks his knee, he must stay in a Jewish hospital for a special surgery. There, he faces his fears of Israelis and make a new friend. This is a cute story with the we're-not-so-different-after-all moral. Although it may resonate more strongly with the Israeli kids for whom it was originally written, its translation is a good addition to English-language children's literature as well. It was enjoyable and cute, and has a moral that every child in the world can benefit...more
I really enjoyed the writing in this novel. I liked the flashbacks because I felt that they kept the action going. There was a mystery aspect to the flashbacks as we, the reader, try to figure out what happened to Samir's brother. The juxtaposition of Adnan and Yonotan was very interesting to me.
I worry about the cultural implications of an Israeli writer writing from a Palestinian perspective. I found out last night in class that this novel was well received in Israel. I wonder how it was rece...more
I worry about the cultural implications of an Israeli writer writing from a Palestinian perspective. I found out last night in class that this novel was well received in Israel. I wonder how it was rece...more
Aimed at middle school readers, this novel tells the story of Samir, a Palestinian boy, who must go to an Israeli hospital for treatment. Among the very people whom he blames for his brother’s violent death, he learns about the Jewish children with whom he shares his hospital room, and sees that they share his conflicts, values and hurts. The novel presents a valuable picture of the reality of growing up in Israel and Palestine today. Positive, though young.
Summary: Nothing could be more frightening for Samir. a Palestinian boy, than to be where he is now : an Israeli hospital ward, trapped among the very people he blames for his brother's death. Amid this explosive atmosphere, Samir begins to learn about the Israeli kids around him. He discovers their hurts and conflicts-and hesitantly begins to share his own. This is a story of violence and healing-the story of a boy facing the enemy he has been taught to fear.
Response:
Response:
Short & Sweet: Samir is a Palestinian boy who has broken his kneecap and must stay in a Jewish hospital until the American doctor can come and perform surgery. Surrounded by kids that are Jewish, he finds that they are not so much different from him. Samir constantly blames himself for his brother's death and he must find a way to heal himself and his leg before he can go home. This novel is a beautifully written story of a boy growing up in an ongoing war zone. Samir is internally strugglin...more
Samir, a young Palestinian boy, lies in an Israeli children's hospital ward. The author tells the classic unlikely-friendships-and falling-of-walls story while avoiding triteness. It was really beautifully written, the kind of book where if you take the time to read it very slowly, every sentence and paragraph holds a little treasure. But for some reason, overall, it failed to motivate me to read it very slowly.
I did not enjoy this book at all. They were just sitting in a hospital and some person would come and give someone candy and this would be the biggest deal ever. Nothing happened and it has totally bored me. Plus I though Nurse Felix was a moo-lester by the way they portrayed him for a while.
Dieses kleine Jugendbuch erzählt von Samir, einem palästinensischen Jungen, der für eine Operation in ein israelisches Krankenhaus kommt. Es erzählt von der Angst, dem Ankommen, von Träumen sowie der Vergangenheit und Zukunft in der Westbank. Ein leises Buch. (Gelesen 2013)
I wrote a paper on this book in grad school. It's a very cool translation. It's the story of two boys one Palestinian, one Israeli who meet in a hospital and try to forge a friendship. Not a new theme, but it's really well done and especially well translated.
This book was given to me by an elementary school teacher who shared it in her class library. She had such a long wait list because her class loved it. I really enjoyed how two cultures at war were shown equally and both feelings were represented.
A book that breaks away from the common perception of the Palestinian-Isralei conflict. I recommend this book to anyone who has been affected by this.
It's pretty good. But the whole thing takes place in a hospital room, it kind of gets boring
Offers readers in other areas a glimpse of unexpected friendship.
AMAZING BOOK!
Moved me to tears!
Moved me to tears!
2001 Batchelder Award Winner
i liked it and how it ended
I didn't like it. I don't like the author's biased opinions on the Palestinian-Israel conflict. What is going on in Palestine is another Holocaust; how can someone be so inhumane?
This is a kids book that took me a few hours to read yeserday. Its the story of a young Palestinian boy who ends up in a Jewish hospital for a few weeks. He and the other kids overcome their mutual mistrust and well learn a bit before going back to wherever they come from. A nice read.
There was nothing wrong with this book, it just wasn't something I really enjoyed. I read it as an assignment for my children's lit class. I thought it was a bit boring and I didn't really relate to it. However, it would be a good tool for teaching multiculturalism.
This book comes strongly recommended from a friend and I enjoyed it as well. Originally published in Hebrew. It's wonderful when you read a YA story that does not cut corners for kids. I'd say, though, that there is an important message in this book for adults, too.
This was for my multicutltural lit course - for the final project on the Middle East... great book for students to learn not to judge before they meet people...
We all want the same thing,
PEACE on PLANET EARTH.
Adults can read it as well. They will enjoy it. It defiantly deserved my whole five stars.
Ps. Thanks Dr.
PEACE on PLANET EARTH.
Adults can read it as well. They will enjoy it. It defiantly deserved my whole five stars.
Ps. Thanks Dr.
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