Author: Trish Doller
Year Published: 2017
Genre: YA fiction (romance)
Pages: 292
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Location (my 2018 Google Reading map): Egypt and USA (NY)
FTC Disclosure: I bought this book with my own money
Summary (from the inside flap of the book): Caroline Kelly is excited to be spending her summer vacation working at the local amusement park with her best friend, exploring weird Ohio with her boyfriend, and attending soccer camp with the hope that she'll be her team's captain in the fall.
But when Caroline's mother is hired to open an eye clinic in Cairo, Egypt, Caroline's plans are upended. Caroline is now expected to spend her summer and her senior year in a foreign country, away from her friends, her home, and everything she's ever known.
With this move, Caroline predicts she'll spend her time navigating crowded streets, eating unfamiliar food, and having terrible bouts of homesickness. But what she finds instead is a culture that surprises her, a city that astounds her, and a charming unpredictable boy who challenges everything she thought she knew about life, love, and privilege.
Review: This is just the kind of book that I love. YA so it's quick and fun, YA romance, which I always find a bit much, and set in a foreign country. Perfect.
I like all the character in this book. Caroline is inquisitive, open to new ideas and cultures, but brutally honest when something scares her or makes her feel uncomfortable. Caroline's parents are caring, loving, and supportive. Adam is just bursting to come out of his shell and see the world, but feels committed and beholden to his family and his way of life. They all navigate this new world together with many bumps along the way, but with love and understanding as well. That's reality and it is done well in this book.
I also like the way the author dealt with Egypt, Cairo, and Islam. As someone who has traveled to Oman a lot, I could really feel the markets, the food, the language, and the people. Students who read this book will learn a lot about Egyptian culture without feeling like it is being rammed down their throats in a boring way. They will surely understand a little better by the end of this book and that is such a good thing.
FTC Disclosure: I bought this book with my own money
Summary (from the inside flap of the book): Caroline Kelly is excited to be spending her summer vacation working at the local amusement park with her best friend, exploring weird Ohio with her boyfriend, and attending soccer camp with the hope that she'll be her team's captain in the fall.
But when Caroline's mother is hired to open an eye clinic in Cairo, Egypt, Caroline's plans are upended. Caroline is now expected to spend her summer and her senior year in a foreign country, away from her friends, her home, and everything she's ever known.
With this move, Caroline predicts she'll spend her time navigating crowded streets, eating unfamiliar food, and having terrible bouts of homesickness. But what she finds instead is a culture that surprises her, a city that astounds her, and a charming unpredictable boy who challenges everything she thought she knew about life, love, and privilege.
I like all the character in this book. Caroline is inquisitive, open to new ideas and cultures, but brutally honest when something scares her or makes her feel uncomfortable. Caroline's parents are caring, loving, and supportive. Adam is just bursting to come out of his shell and see the world, but feels committed and beholden to his family and his way of life. They all navigate this new world together with many bumps along the way, but with love and understanding as well. That's reality and it is done well in this book.
I also like the way the author dealt with Egypt, Cairo, and Islam. As someone who has traveled to Oman a lot, I could really feel the markets, the food, the language, and the people. Students who read this book will learn a lot about Egyptian culture without feeling like it is being rammed down their throats in a boring way. They will surely understand a little better by the end of this book and that is such a good thing.
Challenges for which this counts:
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