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Refugees
September 11, 2001
Two teenagers on opposite sides of the globe flee everything they know. In a world turned upside down by tragedy, they are refugees.
Sixteen-year-old Dawn runs away from her unhappy foster home in California and travels to New York City. Johar, an Afghani teenager, sees his world crumble before him. He flees his war-ravaged village and the Taliban, and makes a dangerous trek to a refugee camp in Pakistan. Thanks to his knowledge of English, Johar finds a job at the camp assisting Louise, the Red Cross doctor—and Dawn’s foster mother. Through e-mails and phone calls, Dawn and Johar begin to share and protect each other’s secrets, fears, and dreams, and a remarkable bond forms that gives each of them hope and the courage to find a path home.
Two teenagers on opposite sides of the globe flee everything they know. In a world turned upside down by tragedy, they are refugees.
Sixteen-year-old Dawn runs away from her unhappy foster home in California and travels to New York City. Johar, an Afghani teenager, sees his world crumble before him. He flees his war-ravaged village and the Taliban, and makes a dangerous trek to a refugee camp in Pakistan. Thanks to his knowledge of English, Johar finds a job at the camp assisting Louise, the Red Cross doctor—and Dawn’s foster mother. Through e-mails and phone calls, Dawn and Johar begin to share and protect each other’s secrets, fears, and dreams, and a remarkable bond forms that gives each of them hope and the courage to find a path home.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published February 8, 2005
8 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Stine
31 books642 followersCatherine Stine is a USA Today bestselling author of urban, paranormal and historical fantasy. Her novels have earned Indie Notable awards and New York Public Library Best Books. Catherine's newest historical fantasy, Witch of the Wild Beasts, was a second prize winner in the Romance Writers' Sheila Contest.
She loves spending time with her beagle, writing about supernatural creatures, gardening on her deck, and meeting readers at book events. Catherine suspects her love of dark fantasy came from her father reading Edgar Allen Poe to her when she was a child.
She loves spending time with her beagle, writing about supernatural creatures, gardening on her deck, and meeting readers at book events. Catherine suspects her love of dark fantasy came from her father reading Edgar Allen Poe to her when she was a child.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 15, 2023
Great Y.A. historical fiction about 9/11 and the months following, but with a twist.
It’s written from two points of view. Teenage Dawn has made an “escape” from her latest foster home , and finds the chaos in Manhattan in September 2001 to be terrifying. Teenage Johar is finding it difficult to care for himself and his baby cousin, who found themselves to be on their own when the activities of the Taliban brought tragedy to his family in the Middle East. Separated by continents, these two young people will become support for each other in very unexpected ways…
It’s written from two points of view. Teenage Dawn has made an “escape” from her latest foster home , and finds the chaos in Manhattan in September 2001 to be terrifying. Teenage Johar is finding it difficult to care for himself and his baby cousin, who found themselves to be on their own when the activities of the Taliban brought tragedy to his family in the Middle East. Separated by continents, these two young people will become support for each other in very unexpected ways…
September 13, 2021
Everyone has traumatic experiences. Some are bigger than others. One person may break their leg. Or one person may lose a loved one. This book encompasses a country’s traumatic experience. September 11, 2001. No one can ever fully heal from an experience like that. As we have just passed the 20th anniversary of the towers being hit you can feel the sorrow in the air. At the very beginning of the book Catherine Stine states, “While the characters in Refugees are totally fictitious, I was careful to rely on my direct experiences of that difficult September day, and the days following.” This really struck me as important because as you read through the book you could physically feel the heaviness and sorrow that day brought. But this isn’t the beginning of the story.
It all starts with a young orphan, Dawn, who lives in San Francisco. Her foster parents have always seemed distant and she feels she burdens them. Her mother is a doctor who needs to go to the middle east to help at a refugee camp in Peshawar. In Dawn’s mind, the only way she feels she can lift their burden is to run away. So Dawn and her best friend Jude run away to New York to follow their dreams of dancing and playing in a band. They crash at Jude’s brother’s place and hit the streets. They start off as a duo with Dawn playing the flute and Jude dancing. But this only lasted a few days before September 11 came. Jude just couldn’t take it anymore and needed to go back home to his family in San Francisco. But that left Dawn, alone, wandering the streets. Memorials were being erected. People were mourning. “A couple in a Subaru clung to each other. College kids huddled in front of the arch by Washington Square Park.” This is one of many pictures that could be painted describing the terrifying scene. After the attacks Dawn found a place to stay in a church close to the towers. People would come up to her and ask her to play songs on her flute in memory of their lost loved ones. She just could take the stress anymore and finally decided to call her foster mom in Peshawar. But a young boy picks up. His name is Johar.
Johar didn’t start at the refugee camp. His story starts back a few weeks. Johar is a 15 year old boy, what was really considered a man in Afghanistan, who comes from a very well known clan. But he and his brother are the only ones left from his immediate family. His father had been killed by the Taliban and his mother had been killed by a landmine. The two brothers are lowly sheep farmers and can barely make enough money for food. His brother makes a rash choice and joins up arms with the Taliban. The Taliban destroys Johar’s home and takes his Aunt to prison. He finds his 3 year old nephew and starts the long hard journey to the refugee camp in Peshawar. Along the way he gets robbed but he finally makes it to the camp. When he gets there he gets shoved into a tent with 3 other people. His nephew gets sick and gets her medicine but she also offers Johar a job. They needed a translator and Johar knows some English. The doctor is Dawn’s foster mother. After Johar picks up the phone Dawn and him become long distance friends. They keep communicating over the phone and through emails. They share their stories, and through their love of music and poetry, they help each other find the hope and courage to move forward.
I loved this book and I thought it was a very well constructed and very developed book. The book is very moving and suspenseful at times. The detail Stine put into the book was also very compelling and you could feel what she was describing. Her words just surrounded me and created a mood that just went up and down. It was exciting at times and then it went into a sorrowful mood. I would recommend this book to anyone who is an avid reader and likes to read emotional books. This is an absolute must read.
It all starts with a young orphan, Dawn, who lives in San Francisco. Her foster parents have always seemed distant and she feels she burdens them. Her mother is a doctor who needs to go to the middle east to help at a refugee camp in Peshawar. In Dawn’s mind, the only way she feels she can lift their burden is to run away. So Dawn and her best friend Jude run away to New York to follow their dreams of dancing and playing in a band. They crash at Jude’s brother’s place and hit the streets. They start off as a duo with Dawn playing the flute and Jude dancing. But this only lasted a few days before September 11 came. Jude just couldn’t take it anymore and needed to go back home to his family in San Francisco. But that left Dawn, alone, wandering the streets. Memorials were being erected. People were mourning. “A couple in a Subaru clung to each other. College kids huddled in front of the arch by Washington Square Park.” This is one of many pictures that could be painted describing the terrifying scene. After the attacks Dawn found a place to stay in a church close to the towers. People would come up to her and ask her to play songs on her flute in memory of their lost loved ones. She just could take the stress anymore and finally decided to call her foster mom in Peshawar. But a young boy picks up. His name is Johar.
Johar didn’t start at the refugee camp. His story starts back a few weeks. Johar is a 15 year old boy, what was really considered a man in Afghanistan, who comes from a very well known clan. But he and his brother are the only ones left from his immediate family. His father had been killed by the Taliban and his mother had been killed by a landmine. The two brothers are lowly sheep farmers and can barely make enough money for food. His brother makes a rash choice and joins up arms with the Taliban. The Taliban destroys Johar’s home and takes his Aunt to prison. He finds his 3 year old nephew and starts the long hard journey to the refugee camp in Peshawar. Along the way he gets robbed but he finally makes it to the camp. When he gets there he gets shoved into a tent with 3 other people. His nephew gets sick and gets her medicine but she also offers Johar a job. They needed a translator and Johar knows some English. The doctor is Dawn’s foster mother. After Johar picks up the phone Dawn and him become long distance friends. They keep communicating over the phone and through emails. They share their stories, and through their love of music and poetry, they help each other find the hope and courage to move forward.
I loved this book and I thought it was a very well constructed and very developed book. The book is very moving and suspenseful at times. The detail Stine put into the book was also very compelling and you could feel what she was describing. Her words just surrounded me and created a mood that just went up and down. It was exciting at times and then it went into a sorrowful mood. I would recommend this book to anyone who is an avid reader and likes to read emotional books. This is an absolute must read.
September 13, 2021
One girl in New York City. One boy in Afghanistan. Both going through the worst moments of their lives away from home.
When 16 year old Dawn runs away from home, she finds herself on the streets of New York City on 9/11. She is alone and scared but can't tell her mom where she is. Johar is a teenager running away from his war-ridden home. He takes his cousin and they find themselves at a refugee camp where Johar finds a job at a clinic -- working for Dawn´s foster mother. Dawn and Johar connect through emails and phone calls and confide in each other about their struggles.
¨I never want to be as lonely as I was. Your letters have warmed me the way the sunrise warned the Afghan sky those years ago.¨ This book talks about characters finding love, but in a friendship. They lean and rely on each other, this is something I loved about the book.
I enjoyed this book because it was such a great story line. It incorporated parts of 9/11 but gave a different perspective to it. The ending was amazing and there were a lot of unexpected events. Although the plot was very slow at first and took a long time to complete, it was very captivating once it started. In the beginning, I did not think I was going to like it because of how slow it started. By the end, I couldn't put it down and wanted to read more.
The final line of the book, ¨They stepped into the Peshawar streets-streets of mosques and beggars, of spice bazaars and a concerto of conversation.¨ is open ended and leaves the reader wanting more.
In the end, the book was very enjoyable and I would read it again. This book is made for young adult readers and historical or realistic fiction lovers. Refugees by Katherine Stine is a book I would definitely recommend.
When 16 year old Dawn runs away from home, she finds herself on the streets of New York City on 9/11. She is alone and scared but can't tell her mom where she is. Johar is a teenager running away from his war-ridden home. He takes his cousin and they find themselves at a refugee camp where Johar finds a job at a clinic -- working for Dawn´s foster mother. Dawn and Johar connect through emails and phone calls and confide in each other about their struggles.
¨I never want to be as lonely as I was. Your letters have warmed me the way the sunrise warned the Afghan sky those years ago.¨ This book talks about characters finding love, but in a friendship. They lean and rely on each other, this is something I loved about the book.
I enjoyed this book because it was such a great story line. It incorporated parts of 9/11 but gave a different perspective to it. The ending was amazing and there were a lot of unexpected events. Although the plot was very slow at first and took a long time to complete, it was very captivating once it started. In the beginning, I did not think I was going to like it because of how slow it started. By the end, I couldn't put it down and wanted to read more.
The final line of the book, ¨They stepped into the Peshawar streets-streets of mosques and beggars, of spice bazaars and a concerto of conversation.¨ is open ended and leaves the reader wanting more.
In the end, the book was very enjoyable and I would read it again. This book is made for young adult readers and historical or realistic fiction lovers. Refugees by Katherine Stine is a book I would definitely recommend.
February 16, 2018
I was looking for another MG/YA novel to add to my "Studying 9/11 though Novels" unit. Refugees adds another dimension to the books I already include.
Dawn is a foster teen who runs away to NYC and becomes affected by the events of 9/11. As she plays her flute on the streets near Ground Zero to earn money for food, she is approached by families of victims who ask her to play for them and the memories of their loved ones. As Dawn comes to believe this is her mission, she teaches herself music she feels appropriate for those of many cultures and stages of life. In doing so, she opens up to strangers and new friends, something she couldn't do with her foster mother.
Johar is an Afghani teenager, weaver, and poet. His father is killed by the Taliban, his mother is killed by a land mine, his older brother joins the Taliban, and his aunt is missing, leaving Johar with his 3 year old cousin to care for. He and his cousin flee to a refugee camp in Pakistan where he works for the Red Cross doctor, Dawn's foster mother, another person who must learn to show love.
Dawn and Johar connect through phone calls and emails and as they all work toward forming a family—one that spans the globe—the reader learns how war, the U.S. involvement, and the events of 9/11 affected those in many countries.
I only gave this novel 3 stars because I was not engaged by the writing. history, but it seems to be jammed into the story. This would be a book I would recommend for proficient readers with an interest in war or history.
P.S. I have to add that after I read this book and posted my review I was listening to a discussion about the days following 9/11 in the Middle East and found that I could actually follow it, so I learned more than I thought from this novel.
Dawn is a foster teen who runs away to NYC and becomes affected by the events of 9/11. As she plays her flute on the streets near Ground Zero to earn money for food, she is approached by families of victims who ask her to play for them and the memories of their loved ones. As Dawn comes to believe this is her mission, she teaches herself music she feels appropriate for those of many cultures and stages of life. In doing so, she opens up to strangers and new friends, something she couldn't do with her foster mother.
Johar is an Afghani teenager, weaver, and poet. His father is killed by the Taliban, his mother is killed by a land mine, his older brother joins the Taliban, and his aunt is missing, leaving Johar with his 3 year old cousin to care for. He and his cousin flee to a refugee camp in Pakistan where he works for the Red Cross doctor, Dawn's foster mother, another person who must learn to show love.
Dawn and Johar connect through phone calls and emails and as they all work toward forming a family—one that spans the globe—the reader learns how war, the U.S. involvement, and the events of 9/11 affected those in many countries.
I only gave this novel 3 stars because I was not engaged by the writing. history, but it seems to be jammed into the story. This would be a book I would recommend for proficient readers with an interest in war or history.
P.S. I have to add that after I read this book and posted my review I was listening to a discussion about the days following 9/11 in the Middle East and found that I could actually follow it, so I learned more than I thought from this novel.
September 6, 2009
Any story about September 11 is bound to be heartbreaking. Refugees is a story about two teens on opposite sides of the world who are connected through the events leading up to 9/11. The story goes back and forth from Afghanistan to NYC and trails the lives of Johar and Dawn. Well-written and definitely worth the read.
The story means a lot to me because I was living in NYC at the time and my life changed forever after that tragic day.
The story means a lot to me because I was living in NYC at the time and my life changed forever after that tragic day.
February 2, 2011
Although the book has an international flavor, it's really about a foster girl in the U.S. named Dawn. When her foster mother who works as a doctor goes to an International Red Cross camp near the border of Pakistan & Afghanistan, Dawn decides to run away from home in CA and go to NYC. She witnesses the attack on the World Trade Center and only then begins to deal with some of her emotional issues.
July 4, 2009
This novel is a conversation between two young people - one American and one Afghani - whose worlds are both broken and improved by circumstances surrounding September 11, 2001. It was a different kind of read for me - and I enjoyed it.
December 11, 2012
I thought this book incorporated before and after September 11 very well. It's great for middle school students to read about that dreadful day in the US. As a middle school media specialist, I really enjoyed it and recommend it to my students.
April 1, 2013
A really sweet book. Loved how the impact of 9/11 was presented from the perspective of a teenager in USA and Afghanistan simultaneously ... their fears, problems and finally how they survived it as winners ...!!!
July 3, 2008
A great novel about searching for love, in all its forms.
March 8, 2010
this book was absolutely AMAZING!
September 25, 2011
This book was really sad but i liked itt but the weird thing is that i finshed the book on 9/11 . what a concident
August 11, 2016
This was really good! At first it was kind of odd, not sure I liked it, but as i was reading it I got into it. Had a super cute ending!!
October 4, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. It has a great story line and takes place right after 9/11. I think that it gives you the feel that you are there, with the characters. For me, because I was born after it happened, this book gives me more of an insight to how people might have felt after it happened. This book is also about family and it shows how family can be whomever you choose it to be. I think this story also gave me a different view on the Taliban and boys in Afghanistan who are forced to join. I would recommend this book to anyone at least in middle school.
October 5, 2022
this book was sooooo good
my god bro
and when they meet each other its legendary
they're so awkward but like
its like a love story between two very different cultures
i love catherine stine <33333333
my god bro
and when they meet each other its legendary
they're so awkward but like
its like a love story between two very different cultures
i love catherine stine <33333333
June 15, 2016
I started reading this book on our vacation to New York City not really knowing much about it, and what a great time it was to read this book! Visiting New York City and going to the 9/11 Memorial made this book more vivid because I had relieved that day through the memorial and walked the streets the book described.
Refugees is a book about the terrorist attacks on 9/11 from the prospective of a teenage girl in New York City and a teenage boy in Afghanistan. I enjoyed reading what 9/11 was like in NYC as well as in Afghanistan. It saddened me to read what these two young people experienced during that day and the weeks after, especially when I was there age when 9/11 occurred. Overall, this book made me believe there are good people all over the world, even if they are from another country and don't believe the same as me.
I gave Refugees by Catherine Stine 3 stars because there were so many situations happening to the main characters that the conversations and feelings became short and choppy; therefore, I was unable to fully connect with either of the main characters.
Refugees is a book about the terrorist attacks on 9/11 from the prospective of a teenage girl in New York City and a teenage boy in Afghanistan. I enjoyed reading what 9/11 was like in NYC as well as in Afghanistan. It saddened me to read what these two young people experienced during that day and the weeks after, especially when I was there age when 9/11 occurred. Overall, this book made me believe there are good people all over the world, even if they are from another country and don't believe the same as me.
I gave Refugees by Catherine Stine 3 stars because there were so many situations happening to the main characters that the conversations and feelings became short and choppy; therefore, I was unable to fully connect with either of the main characters.
October 23, 2012
Refugees begins in the days preceding September 11, 2001, and I wasn't in love with it. At first. Initially I found the characters a little stiff and the writing a bit dry. As the author brought the readers and the protagonists closer to September 11, 2001 and closer to the events of that warm September day, the novel began to wake up and drag the reader into the story. I found that Stine captured the emotions of September 11th and the days, weeks, and months after. She didn't dwell on the attacks so much as she dealt with the emotional aftermath. As the characters processed all that happened and how the world was changing around them, I felt characters unfold and become more complex. I appreciated that she told the story from two points of view - an American girl and an Afghan boy. This was worth the read.
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October 23, 2015In the novel refugees by Catherine stine the reader is introduced to dawn a 16 year old girl and Johar a 16 year old boy . The setting defines how these teenagers are completely different people but are going through a hard time . Early in the story dawn decides to run away because she feels like her foster parents don't want her as a part of their family . While in another part of the world Johar who lives in Afghanistan the villages around him are getting destroyed . Daq Johan's brothers is going to be a soldier in the war . The main characters in this book are going through a hard time and need to find a way to get out of them . From this we can assum the characters are going to have to make some big choices.This sorry makes me think of how people sometimes need to escape from their problems . this book leaves us thinking about what dawn and johar are going to do next .
October 20, 2012
I have to confess that I found this book to be just a general disappointment. My greatest two concerns were that the characters felt flat and the dialogue clanked along woodenly. I do think that there's a solid premise here (finding common ground in shared experience, etc.), and the story does revolve around universal themes which should resonate within the reader; however, the overall tone was so flat that I just couldn't bring myself to care.
September 14, 2014
This was a good recollection of 9/11. It was good, but since I was young back then, I don't remember what happened, so it was good to learn someone's story about what happened to them.
October 3, 2014
Nice book about finding who your true family/friends are. Also nice insight on 9/11, from Afghanistan and New York! Would recommend!!
February 10, 2016
Set in NYC and Afghanistan in 2001, a boy and a girl find communicate online, developing a long distance relationship.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews