Sami is 10 years old and have experienced war for as long as he can remember. When the guns and loud noises are going on he, his sister, mom, and grandpa stay in the basement waiting for it to all go away. Sami lost his father to the war, but he likes to remember him and his love for peaches. On good days when the guns and loud noises have subsided, they can all leave the basement and go out into the daylight in the streets. This book shows war from a child's perspective, and a child who has enough knowledge and common sense to know exactly what is going on and the seriousness of it. This book would be a great tool to teach students about the troubles kids in other countries go through, and the lives that they a forced to live in. ( )

In my opinion, this is a good book for young readers. I feel this way for a couple of reasons, first, I feel that this pushes readers to think about tough issues and broadens perspectives. For example, the entire book is based of a child who is living through the war in Lebanon. Since it is told from his perspective, young readers can gain insight on what it is like to live through war as young child. Which is another reason I like this book, the point of view was in first person. Hearing raw and specific details from Sami such as him not remembering the sky being blue is very powerful. For young readers to read this book in the perspective of a 10-year- old boy could allow for them really connect with the story. Overall, the big idea could be just raising awareness and gaining empathy towards what is going on around the world. Also, since this event is older, it could also teach readers a part of history they might not have known about. ( )

Summary: The story, Sami and the Time of Troubles, focuses on a boy named Sami who is a ten year old living in his uncle's basement in Lebanon. Sami's family is dealing with the war around them and constantly hearing bombs go off in the basement. This deals with the struggle of living through a war time and how the city has fallen and needs to be put back together after the war.

Personal Reaction: The book was a very good way to teach children the truths of war on a level that they can understand. A lot of times it is hard to show how it can affect people because, although we are at war it has not affected as many people in the same way that it did Sami.

Classroom Extension: We could go around and talk about how war has affected people in the classroom, especially being near a military town. We could also start a drive to collect items for a relief act. ( )

I did like this book because of the perspective that it made me think about. The story was during a war time in Lebanon. 10 year old Sami and his family all live in the basement of his uncle’s house. Throughout the story the reader is drawn in through descriptive language. For example, it is mentioned that the family can hear bombs dropping outside. Sami also mentions that he does not remember the blueness of the sky. Through these simple descriptive words the reader is able to use their senses and relate to the story. That is just one example of why I like the story. I also liked the story because the illustrations were able to add another powerful element to the story. Some of scenes depicted could just not be described as well as the illustrations did. For example, the day after the bombs had stopped Sami and his family go outside. They are going out the market, and getting some fresh air. But in the illustration the reader is able to see the ruins of the city that was bombarded just the day before. The reader is also able to see how the city came together to clean up the city that they called home. Another aspect that I liked about the story is that the perspective was from a 10 year old boy. The themes in this story are quite sophisticated for a reader who has not grown up during a war time. But the fact that the story was told from the perspective of a young boy helps young students to better relate to the story. A fourth and fifth grader can now better relate to the 10 year old boy better than if the story was told from the perspective of the uncle. From reading this story students will get a little insight to what it would be like to live during a war time. This is a difficult thing for people to think about if they are never faced with the immediate danger of a war, but it is important perspective that people have to think about. I think an important message from the story is that war does not just effect soldiers. War effects families as well, and often time these families are defenseless and innocent. ( )

This story is about a child in a village where they are having a war. The child’s father has died, so his family now lives with his uncle, in his basement. The family stays in the basement so that they are safe from the gun fire. Throughout the book the child remembers the days where they did not have to wait in the basement to listen out for when the gun fire has stopped to go outside. The child in the book gets to go outside on days there is no gun fire and do different things that he used to do. On the days that the child gets to go outside he is happy and excited. The child brings up throughout the book that one day will be like when the children marched in the streets. This was a day where the people marched against all of the fighting and protested but there was no effect. At the end of the book the child says there will be another day that children will march in the street and maybe the fighting will stop that day.

I liked this book for children because it shows you even though there are bad things happening around you, that you can still find the joy in what you have. In the book Sami the child kept looking back at the previous good days that they had where they could go outside and that got him through the bad days. Another reason I liked this book is that it shows children to never give up and to stand up for what you believe in. When you look at the book you can see this through when Sami tells hia grandfather that there will be another day the children march in the streets and maybe they will listen to stop the fighting.

I like this book for children because some children may have lived through this that have migrated to the U.S., as well as children that live in more poverty stricken areas might be able to relate to this book. This book shows children that looking at the good things in your life can get you through the bad things going on in your life. ( )