Crossing the Farak River

Hasina lives in Rakhine State in Myanmar with her younger brother Araf, her cousin, aunt, grandmother, father and mother. She loves studying math, playing soccer, and walking to the bazaar to visit her father at work. But rising tensions in her hometown come to a head one night when military troops come in the night to drive Muslim Rohingya people from their homes. Hasina, Araf, and their cousin go running to hide in the woods - becoming separated from their parents and struggling to survive in a community that views them as enemies.

This is a harrowing story of violence and target persecution from a Burmese-Australian author. The narrative progresses quickly and unpacks many horrors that many young people and their families experience around the world. A timeline and author's note provide helpful insight - especially the reminder that human rights violations are still a reality in Myanmar. This is a hard read, but a timely and important one.

I've been fascinated with Myanmar recently. I love books like Crossing the Farak River that take you into life in a foreign country. Unfortunately for Hasina and her younger brother Araf, the instability of their country will change their way of life forever.

As Rohingyas, Muslim people inhabiting western Myanmar, their families are seen as terrorist and no longer welcome in the land in which they've lived for generations. When soldiers invade their village one night, the family is separated. This survivor tale highlights the strength of character of these young people as they struggle to stay together against all odds.

This was a difficult read for me for several reasons: (1) Everything is completely foreign. The landscape, the language, and the culture required me to work harder at imagining and thinking than I would while reading a book set in a familiar place. (2) Persecution of innocent people is tough to read. My heart broke for these children who were living in terrifying conditions on their own. (3) It is a nail biter to the end. When I thought it couldn't get any more difficult, a new challenge to survival would arise.

I think that this is an important story to tell. Human rights are still being violated today and this book opens those ideas up to middle grade readers in an approachable way.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley. All of my opinions are my own!

Crossing the Farak River
by Michelle Aung Thin


Annick Press Ltd.

Annick Press

Children's Fiction


Pub Date 07 Apr 2020

I am reviewing a copy of Crossing the Farak River through Annick Press and Netgalley:



For Hasina and her little brother Araf, the constant threat of the Sit Tat, the Myanmar Army, it had in fact become a way of life in the Rakhine province. Just the mention of the Sit Tat sends chills down their spines. They know that the only thing to do when the sound of the helicopters, they run and not stop. When soldiers invade their village one night, and Hasina awakes to her aunt's fearful voice, followed by smoke, and then a scream, they do as they always do and run.



Hasina races deep into the Rakhine to hide with her cousin and Araf, when they emerge days later it is to a smoldering village, their house is still standing but their family is gone. Where could they be, have the soldiers taken them?


I found Crossing the Farak River five out of five stars, this would be a good teaching tool for middle grade to junior high school students, teaching of culture, and the effects of war!


Happy Reading!

Absolutely gut wrenching story.You hear of the Rohingyas but don’t really pay much attention.This book captures the plight of the Rohingyas in Myanmar.
Told through the voice of a young Rohingya girl Hasina.Her whole world is turned upside down when she flees to the forest when her neighborhood is set on fire.
Opens your eyes to the ongoing humanitarian crisis there.Well written,fast paced truly amazing book.
Thankyou Netgalley for this ARC

I have to admit my own ignorance towards the history of the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar. I didn't know much about its history before this book, but I feel like I am a little more familiar after reading Crossing the Farak River. This book is geared towards middle grade, but I think that anyone who is interested in learning more about the Rohingyas could benefit from reading it. I'm not much of a middle grade fan myself, but I didn't have too much of a problem with the age of the characters or their decisions in this book. I would primarily attribute that to the serious subject matter, but it also partially is related to the writing style. It just comes off as more polished than some of the other middle grade novels that I have read. My only complaint is that the ending didn't feel complete to me. It just sort of stopped and I wanted more closure.

Thank you to Netgalley and Annick Press for providing me with an e-ARC of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hasina and her little brother Araf live in constant fear of the Myanmar army, or Sit Tat. As Rohingyas, they are in danger in their own home. When the army attacks in the night, Hasina, along with her brother and cousin run into the forest to hide. But when they return, everyone has gone. Hasina is left to take care of her family and learn what happened to her parents and aunt.

I love discovering books that take place in countries that just don't get written about, especially when they are aimed at children. I had never read anything that took place in Myanmar before, so I was very excited to read this book. I think this story is a great introduction to the unstable situation in that country. It felt very real and had a great sense of place. I found myself feeling very stressed out for what Hasina was going through and stayed up very late into the night so that I could finish the story. This book is aimed at upper middle grade (I would say ages 12 and up), but I found it very informative and readable. I highly recommend checking this out!

I really appreciated that this book featured a really unique perspective that is not common in most popular YA or Middle Grade fiction. I think the writing was beautiful and I'd recommend adding this to a library or other collection.

Michelle Aung Thin has done an amazing job of bringing the crisis facing the Rohingya people to the forefront of the minds of young readers. It can be overwhelming to grapple with the many acts of violence being committed against minority groups around the world, but it is something that has to happen. So often, in schools and in homes, we treat genocide as something historical. However, it is as current as ever.

Crossing the Farak River tells the story of a Rohingya family living in Myanmar and specifically in the state of Rakhine. The protagonist is Hasina, a teenager who becomes responsible for taking care of her grandmother, cousin, and younger brother when her village is attacked by the military. The characters in this book are extremely well-developed and readers will become wrapped up in their story.

Authors of young adult literature have a difficult job of educating their readers and exposing them to global issues without making their work didactic or dogmatic. Michelle Aung Thin has done a remarkable job with Crossing the Farak River.