Samir and Yonatan

by Daniella Carmi

Paperback, 2002

Status

Available

Call number

T F CAR

Publication

Blue Sky Press (2002), Paperback, 160 pages

Description

Samir, a Palestinian boy, is sent for surgery to an Israeli hospital where he has two otherworldly experiences, making friends with an Israeli boy, Yonatan, and traveling with him to Mars where Samir finds peace over his younger brother's death in the war.

Barcode

1754

Language

User reviews

LibraryThing member STBA
Frightened to be the only Palestinian in the children's ward of a hospital in Israel, Samir withdraws into himself. Gradually, Yonatan, the boy in the next bed, draws him into another world where Jews and Palestinians can be friends.
LibraryThing member bluemopitz
I liked the book, but I wasn't totally on-board with the authors writing style. She jumped right in without background, setting, character description or any of the other things you generally expect in the beginning of a novel. It took quite awhile to orient myself and understand what the context
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of the story was. I didn't feel really involved in the story, nor did it evoke the emotional response I think it could have given the subject matter.

This book could be used in curricula when studying the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts and the impact of the violence on children.
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LibraryThing member crochetbunnii
Personal Response:
I most liked Samir's comparison of life at the Jewish Hospital with his daily life in a Palestinian village. The disparity between resources, access and freedom are shocking and puts a human face on a political conflict. Samir's initial response and gradual acceptance of the
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Israeli children and staff provide an honest depiction of the feeling of an outsider learning to accept others and question previously held beliefs. The overall message of peace, conveyed through an interaction between children of warring groups, makes a strong statement about tolerance and understanding.

Curricular Connections:

This book would be excellent to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict to gain a better understanding of who the people are in this area and what life is like for them. A broader theme of tolerance and understanding can be discussed with regard to how prejudice can limit social interactions between certain groups.
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LibraryThing member -Eva-
This is a look at the Israeli-Arab “problem” which doesn’t depict any war-clashes at all. It does, of course, indirectly deal with it through the eyes of children, who have inadvertently adopted the views of their parents. Now, left without their families, bound to their hospital beds – the
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real-time story takes place in a children’s hospital ward – where the odd one our, our narrator, Samir, a Palestinian boy, is given a view into the lives of regular Israeli children – far away from the war zone, filled with soldiers, that is his home.

The children and their various personalities are so much fun to read about – they have their little tiffs, but when it comes down to it, they all work together. What really makes the story stand out, though, is the juxtapositioning of Samir’s point of view – young as he is, he has experienced a world of sorrows – and the seemingly carefree Israeli children.

In proper YA fashion, the ending is, not “happy” – that would be too simplistic for a novel dealing with such a difficult problem – but satisfying, showing that there is a way for people to relate to each other as humans, regardless of our past history or current circumstances. We can include all other people, as long as we choose to do so.
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LibraryThing member The_Hibernator
When Palestinian boy Samir breaks his knee, he must stay in a Jewish hospital for a special surgery. There, he faces his fears of Israelis and make a new friend. This is a cute story with the we're-not-so-different-after-all moral. Although it may resonate more strongly with the Israeli kids for
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whom it was originally written, its translation is a good addition to English-language children's literature as well. It was enjoyable and cute, and has a moral that every child in the world can benefit from.
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LibraryThing member achamb15
This novel was interesting; however, it did not spike my interest. The voice was different and from a Palestinian boy talking about personal experiences, dreams, and nightmares. The author did a nice job of being honest about death and war. The overall message is that, it will be difficult, one can
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get through a through situation such as Samir did with losing his younger brother. Although this was an interesting topic and had a strong message, the writing did not intrigue me and left me bored at times.
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ISBN

0439135230 / 9780439135238
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