by Naomi Shihab Nye

MEOC Award MoreScore: 3 non-white cis-male undisclosed adventure realistic Muscat, Oman Immigration Grandfathers 304 pages Lexile: 700L

This accessible, exquisite novel shines with gentle humor and explores themes of moving, family, nature, and immigration. It tells the story of young Aref Al-Amri, who must say good-bye to everything and everyone he loves in his hometown of Muscat, Oman, as his family prepares to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where his parents will go to graduate school. Before packing, he and his grandfather, Siddi go on a series of adventures. They visit the camp of a thousand stars deep in the desert, they sleep on Siddi's roof, they visit a nature reserve to watch the sea turtles.