This is a book review written by my 12-year-old daughter.  She joins me now in reviewing her must-reads.

She glanced at her father’s beloved features from under her eyelashes.  Etched upon his features was the terrible knowledge that the world as they knew it had changed and there was no going back.

Escape from Aleppo is about a girl named Nadia who lives in the peaceful town of Aleppo, Syria.  Life is normal then civil war breaks out, and many people are forced to leave.  Her family desires to leave, too.  When a wall collapses, Nadia’s family assumes she’s dead and flees for Turkey.  But Nadia is alive.  Separated from her family, she struggles to find her own way to Turkey.  This book is the story of finding her family and meeting and losing a few friends along the way.

“I can’t believe it,” Khala Lina growled.  “They are destroying the very heart of Haleb….erasing five thousand years of history and culture.”

My favorite character in the novel is Basel.  He likes to draw like I do and he’s resourceful.  He reminds Nadia of her little brother, so Nadia takes care of Basel on their journey to Turkey.  Nadia discovers through Basel that she loves her family, and they inspire her will to survive.

This book opened my eyes to the struggle in Syria.  I didn’t even know there was a war going on in Syria.  Nadia shows us that this war is splitting families apart.  I learned from Nadia how to have a good attitude and to persevere in the face of hardship.