When her father is killed in a coup, 15-year-old Laila and her family flee their Middle-Eastern country and begin new lives in suburban America. But Laila cannot escape the past. Her manipulative mother is courting CIA favor, her brother insists that he will be the next king, and a boy from her country is opening her eyes to the father she thought she knew -- and the atrocities he committed. Feeling ashamed and helpless, Laila watches her world collapse around her, wondering if she can do anything to stop it.
This book had so much potential. The unique premise looked like an interesting way to learn a little more about Middle-Eastern politics, and the cover and blurb hinted at intrigue, action, and danger. Unfortunately, the story itself is slow-moving much of the time, and Laila is a difficult character to sympathize with. She is very easily manipulated, and she frequently either acts impulsively (to disastrous effect) or stands around ringing her hands and wallowing instead of doing anything. When the ending does come, it feels anticlimactic, because the main events are briefly summarized; even Laila herself does not get to live through most of them since they happen so far away. Bonus: Several afterwords and notes at the end provide further information for curious students.
HS -- OPTIONAL. Reviewer: Caryn.
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