Run for Your Life

"Run For Your Life" is a realistic fiction upper grade novel about a girl named Azari who is a refugee in Ireland. Azari and her mother flee for their lives and are on their own in a new country trying to navigate seeking asylum. The story moves between the past with Azari reliving memories which explain the reason for her leaving her home and the present which shares all the challenges Azari and her mother face together.

I would recommend this book for upper elementary and middle school. I started it and finished it in one sitting and was continually wondering thoroughout the story how it would end and what the background was for Azari and her mother. It was always a read just one more chapter kind of book, which ended up being just one more chapter until I finish it.

Run for Your Life is a chapter book that explores a young girl's life as a refugee in Ireland. I really appreciated the description of the refugee center where Azari and her mother life; the vivid details made me understand their experience better. It felt like Azari was holding everything together for herself and her mom; that strength was very present. I think this would be a great classroom read, to discuss the refugee experience told from a child's perspective.

Run for Your Life follows Azari and her mother as they are fleeing for their lives to Ireland. Her mother is traumatized so that leaves everything up to Azari - she must speak for them both, do paperwork, and ultimately try to live in this foreign place.

This is a book that I think that everyone should read. It has a strong impact and it's something that I think people should be reading.