Review By: Anonymous
Published: 2020
Genre(s): Historical Fiction
Audience: Grades 3 to 8
Content Warnings: Political issues, religious persecution, miscarriage, war
Goodreads Link: Flying Over Water
Publisher’s Summary:
Twelve-year-old Noura Alwan’s family is granted asylum in the United States, after spending two years in a Turkish refugee camp, having fled war-torn Aleppo. They land in Tampa, Florida, on January 30, 2017, just days after the president restricted entry into the US from nations with a Muslim majority population.
Twelve-year-old Jordyn Johnson is a record-breaking swimmer, but hasn’t swum well since her mom had a miscarriage during one of her meets. Her family has volunteered to help the Alwan family through their church. She knows very few people of Arab descent or who practice Islam.
The girls’ lives intersect at Bayshore Middle School where Jordyn serves as the Alwan children’s school ambassador. Noura knows that her family is safe from the civil unrest in her home country, but is not prepared for the adversity she now faces on American soil. Jordyn is sympathetic to Noura’s situation, but there are other members of their Florida community who see the refugees’ presence to be a threat to their way of life.While the president’s Muslim ban tests the resolve and faith of many, it is friendship that stands strong against fear and hatred.
Review:
Flying Over Water is a dual point-of-view historical fiction novel co-authored by Shannon Hitchcock and N.H. Senzai. Its main characters, Noura and Jordyn, each confront past events that significantly impact their mental health. Noura and her family are Syrian refugees who are resettled in the United States right before immigration restrictions are placed on their country. They deal with challenges such as learning English, finding an appropriate place to pray (even at school), and trying to get along with peers who are not always welcoming. Jordyn (an American citizen) is a skilled diver who struggles with performance anxiety following a family tragedy. The two forge a strong friendship and mutually support each other with their anxieties.
The book is structured so that each chapter is labeled with the character’s name whose point of view we are seeing in that chapter. This structure ensures that readers have direct access to the inner thoughts and emotions of both characters. This makes the story particularly meaningful as both of their histories and perspectives are clearly shown. I would recommend this title to readers who are interested in exploring themes of immigration and/or religious. A wide variety of faiths is represented (Christian, Muslim, Hindu, and Jewish), and students learn to respect each other’s differences while celebrating their own cultures. I think students who are comfortable with complex emotional issues and are deep thinkers may really enjoy reading about how two girls support each other and overcome personal challenges.
In the story, Jordyn and Noura work in a group to complete a project about immigration in the United States. This provides an opportunity for further classroom or book club discussion about immigration issues and how that debate is still ongoing today. Students could also create their own projects about immigration issues similar to the characters in the book, making this an ideal choice for curriculum integration, particularly in social studies or ELA classes focusing on current events and diverse narratives.
