Close to the Wind

March 1, 2015
Walter's debut novel is a profile of innocence maintained in the face of war.Malik and his grandfather, Papa, are running from soldiers to a port, where they hope to board a ship to safety. Malik believes they will meet his mother there, although Papa is suspiciously (at least to readers) circumspect. To keep him distracted, Papa teaches Malik a trick to make small items disappear; this new sleight-of-hand talent will come in very handy later on. When former business associates and fellow refugees steal a diamond from Papa meant to fund passage to and start-up costs in a new country, escape seems impossible. The tension is palpable, and if the lack of details about place and time may frustrate some, it also serves to keep the focus on character types. The threat posed by the soldiers is not explicit but ominous all the same. Unethical opportunists arouse a sense of injustice. Papa, a wheeler-dealer, gets Malik on the boat, but Malik is crushed to learn that his mother is not onboard. It all seems for naught until a sympathetic foster parent aids Malik's search for his family. The roller-coaster ride of experiences and emotions, taking Malik and readers from fear, despair, loss, and grief to love and hope, is accurately drawn.A good choice for sensitive children not ready for more pointed accounts. (Fiction. 8-12)

March 1, 2015

Gr 4-7-This story, told in three parts, begins with a boy and an old man: Malik and Papa. Malik, who is nine, doesn't know his estranged grandfather very well, but they are bound together ever since soldiers came in the night to take Malik's mother away. Papa assures his grandson that his mother will be waiting for them at the port, the place where the duo is heading. Papa, who once owned factories, and Malik, who lived in a nice house, are now scavenging for food and seeking hiding spots in abandoned homes as they bide their time waiting for a ship called the Samaritan to take them away. While hiding out, they cross paths with two of Papa's former business acquaintances, and like Malik, readers are never sure if they should be trusted. They make a deal with Papa that could mean the difference between life and death, for "nothing is ever assured in life unless you can pay for it." All the while, a thread of hope keeps the situation from turning desperate during these desperate times, but questions linger: Will Malik reunite with his mother? Will they find the money to buy tickets for the ship? The setting and time period are not defined, as Walter attempts to convey a sense of the timelessness of war and upheaval. VERDICT Many readers may find the lack of historical context and place a distraction; those who can move past it will find richly developed and empathetic characters.-Meg Allison, The Moretown School, VT

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2015
Grades 5-8 The time and place in which Walter's debut novel is set are indecipherable, though that matters very little. The novel is not about its setting, which is first a war-torn country, then later a refugee ship called The Samaritan, and finally a more hopeful country full of skyscrapers. Instead the novel focuses on the central relationship between 10-year-old Malik and his grandfather, Papa, as they make their escape from a dangerous country in wartime. Malik's mother has gone missing after his town is invaded by an enemy army, and it is up to him and Papa to watch out for each other as they navigate through the occupied streets toward freedom. In spite of the ambiguity of the setting, the frightening specter of the unnamed war is nonetheless palpable, and it pushes Malik and Papa toward other refugees, decisions that will affect their survival, and an ultimately optimistic outcome. With realistic and unembellished prose, this poignant tale of a family in danger will likely resonate with a wide array of readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)