At 10, Yara is a loved and happy child living with her parents behind their bakery in Aleppo, going to dance class with her best friend, Shireen. A few years later, in 2010, her visiting Uncle Sami expresses hope in the Arab Spring uprising against the oppressive government of Syrian President al-Asaad. That hope is soon replaced by fear, violence, and death when their home takes a direct hit from government bombs and Yara's parents are killed. Yara, her little brother, Saad, and Nana (her grandmother) survive and soon begin a journey toward refuge, taking Shireen and Shireen's older brother, Ali, with them. Their goal is Jordan, but first they must reach Damascus and Uncle Sami. This riveting story is propelled not just by the drama of harrowing events as they unfold but by characters who offer an intimate, insider's point of view on recent events in Syria and the intensity of living with such violence, uncertainty, and fear. The contrast between Yara's life at 10 and everything else that happens is striking, and further underscores her losses, which resonate across the lives of many refugees. Yara does arrive at a place of physical safety, but her emotional journey clearly continues. A note reveals that author Saeed's personal story, while much different from his fictional characters', also involved oppression, flight, and exile. (Age 11 and older)