Jennifer Rozines Roy

Ali Fadhil

For forty-two days in 1991, eleven-year-old Ali Fadhil and his family struggle to survive as Basra, Iraq, is bombed by the United States and its allies.

Based on a True Story

Playing Atari with Saddam Hussein

Samantha Seeman

For such a short book, this one took me a bit to get into! It wasn’t that the story wasn’t good, because it was. But I was just not in the mood to start this one. That is probably why I ended up with not a whole lot to say about it, once it was finished. I love historical fictions, and I really love (especially recently) reading about different parts of history, particularly parts that are not well covered or talked about here in America. This follows a young boy who grows up in Iraq under the rein of Saddam Hussein. Our main character, Ali, already lived through the first war (the one between Iraq and Iran) and is preparing for another with the most powerful country in the world, the United States. This takes place in a small town near the border of Kuwait, in 1991. I think I personally would have liked a little more information to beef this story up a bit more, but I think that it being a quick read for kids helps it’s shelf life and interest level. I love all the unique “own voice” stories that are coming out right now, and that they are spilling over into middle grade novels, which honestly is the most important place for them.

Playing Atari with Saddam Hussein Based on a True Story

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