The Lines We Cross

by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Overview

Michael likes to hang out with his friends and play with the latest graphic design software. His parents drag him to rallies held by their anti-immigrant group, which rails against the tide of refugees flooding the country. And it all makes sense to Michael.

Until Mina, a beautiful girl from the other side of the protest lines, shows up at his school, and turns out to be funny, smart -- and a Muslim refugee from Afghanistan. Suddenly, his parents' politics seem much more complicated.

Mina has had a long and dangerous journey fleeing her besieged home in Afghanistan, and now faces a frigid reception at her new prep school, where she is on scholarship. As tensions rise, lines are drawn. Michael has to decide where he stands. Mina has to protect herself and her family. Both have to choose what they want their world to look like.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338118667
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	05/09/2017
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	82,702
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.50(d)
Lexile:	HL690L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Randa Abdel-Fattah is an award-winning author, former attorney, and an expert on Islamaphobia in Australia. She is the author of the critically acclaimed novels Does My Head Look Big In This? and Ten Things I Hate About Me, as well as the middle-grade novel Where the Streets Had a Name. Ms. Abdel-Fattah lives in Sydney, Australia, with her husband and their children.

Editorial Reviews

03/13/2017
Originally published in Australia, Abdel-Fattah’s novel about a blossoming teenage romance could hardly be more timely; although set in Sydney, the book is acutely relevant to American readers. Michael’s first glimpse of Mina is from the opposing side of a protest: she is demonstrating for refugees’ rights, and he is with Aussie Values, a nationalist group founded by his father. Smitten, Michael is surprised to find that Mina is a new student in his prestigious and predominantly white high school. Their testy first exchange sets the stage for a typical opposites-attract story, except that it reveals their deep-seated differences about Mina’s presence in Australia. An Afghan refugee who arrived by boat (“jumping the queue,” according to Aussie Values) more than 10 years earlier, Mina has left her diverse neighborhood and school thanks to a scholarship. As she adjusts to her new environment, Michael struggles to align his evolving feelings with his family’s outspoken principles. Abdel-Fattah (Where the Streets Had a Name) delivers an engaging romance within a compelling exploration of the sharply opposing beliefs that tear people apart, and how those beliefs can be transformed through human relationships. Ages 12–up. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Mina and her family fled Afghanistan as Muslim refugees. After finding safety in a new country (Australia), Mina gets a scholarship to a preparatory high school. Most students in this school have families who pay the expensive tuition, and the privilege lives they lead are foreign to Mina. It is here that Mina meets Michael. Michael’s family strongly opposes Muslim immigration and voices intolerance toward people who move to their country but do not assimilate Australian traditions. When Mina and Michael are partnered for a class assignment, Michael develops respect for Mina as an individual. Tension builds when Michael’s dad leads a public anti-immigrant group and airs anti-immigrant news stories targeting people like Mina’s family. Chapters alternate between Mina and Michael, whose lives are worlds apart. Both characters’ stories may, at times, seem forced, too black-and-white to be realistic, to mainstream readers; however, these extreme views against immigrants and against Muslims are real, and The Lines We Cross shines an uncomfortable, but necessary, light on the beliefs and actions of those who reject the blending of cultures. It simultaneously shines a light on a realistic Muslim refugee/immigrant story. A topical and timely story, some American readers may not connect with the Australian cultural references, but they will definitely connect with the issues raised. This is a recommended purchase for YA collections looking to expand their collection of realistic fiction featuring immigration or diversity, or a library wishing to add books about topics that spark discussions. Reviewer: Dianna Geers; Ages 12 to 18.

VOYA, June 2017 (Vol. 40, No. 2) - Dianna Geers

03/01/2017
Gr 9 Up—Mina, her mother, and her stepfather, Afghani refugees in Sydney, Australia, are moving out of multicultural Auburn into a more homogenous, wealthy neighborhood to open a halal restaurant. Michael is the obedient son of the founder of Aussie Values, an anti-immigration group. The two teens meet at Mina's new school, where she is on scholarship. Michael is immediately smitten with witty, self-possessed, intelligent Mina. He falls hard and has to figure out what he believes, because if he is anti-immigration, he is anti-Mina. Mina struggles with trusting Michael, whose family is clearly no ally to hers and whose best friend is a complete jerk. Told from the protagonists' alternating perspectives, this work presents a multifaceted look at a Muslim teen. Mina and Michael's relationship is threatened by direct attacks perpetrated by Aussie Values on Mina's family's restaurant. Their love develops amid (mostly) well-meaning but flawed family and friends. Abdel-Fattah explores teen nerdiness, sexuality, cruelty, compassion, family pressure, neglect, and loyalty. She is a master at conveying themes of tolerance, working in humor, and weaving multiple emotionally complex points of view. VERDICT A timely and compassionate portrait of the devastating losses of refugees, political conflicts within a family and a nation, and the astounding capacity of young people to identify hate and yet act with empathy and love. A must-purchase for all collections.—Sara Lissa Paulson, City-As-School High School, New York City

School Library Journal

★ 2017-02-20
An Afghani-Australian teen named Mina earns a scholarship to a prestigious private school and meets Michael, whose family opposes allowing Muslim refugees and immigrants into the country. Dual points of view are presented in this moving and intelligent contemporary novel set in Australia. Eleventh-grader Mina is smart and self-possessed—her mother and stepfather (her biological father was murdered in Afghanistan) have moved their business and home across Sydney in order for her to attend Victoria College. She's determined to excel there, even though being surrounded by such privilege is a culture shock for her. When she meets white Michael, the two are drawn to each other even though his close-knit, activist family espouses a political viewpoint that, though they insist it is merely pragmatic, is unquestionably Islamophobic. Tackling hard topics head-on, Abdel-Fattah explores them fully and with nuance. True-to-life dialogue and realistic teen social dynamics both deepen the tension and provide levity. While Mina and Michael's attraction seems at first unlikely, the pair's warmth wins out, and readers will be swept up in their love story and will come away with a clearer understanding of how bias permeates the lives of those targeted by it. A meditation on a timely subject that never forgets to put its characters and their stories first. (Fiction. 12-17)

Kirkus Reviews

Praise for The Lines We Cross:

A Kirkus Best Book for Young Adults 2017

* "[T]his book could not be more necessary. Deserving of wide readership and discussion." -- Booklist, starred review

* "A meditation on a timely subject that never forgets to put its characters and their stories first." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Abdel-Fattah (Where the Streets Had a Name) delivers an engaging romance within a compelling exploration of the sharply opposing beliefs that tear people apart, and how those beliefs can be transformed through human relationships." -- Publishers Weekly

"Abdel-Fattah . . . is a master at conveying themes of tolerance, working in humor, and weaving multiple emotionally complex points of view. A timely and compassionate portrait of the devastating losses of refugees, political conflicts within a family and a nation, and the astounding capacity of young people to identify hate and yet act with empathy and love. A must-purchase for all collections." -- School Library Journal

"A Romeo and Juliet story for our times . . . Abdel-Fattah offers young readers immeasurable perspective into a present-day crisis." -- BookPage

"Timely, relevant and quite thought-provoking." -- RT Book Reviews

"An unflinching look at refugees, immigration, religion and Islamophobia . . . This timely book explores the emotionally and politically charged atmosphere behind immigration . . . putting personal stories to issues many only read about in the news." -- Bustle

Praise for Where the Streets Had a Name:

*"This novel is an important addition to a very small body of existing books that tell the Palestinian story for young people, and an intensely realistic setting brings that story to life. It is full of humor, adventure, and family love, but doesn't try to hide the heartbreaking and often bitter reality of life under Occupation. Abdel-Fattah manages to walk the line of truth-telling and sensitivity." -- School Library Journal, starred review

"Hayaat's immediate, wry, and irreverent narrative intensifies the story of anguished struggle and Palestinian politics . . . The suspense builds . . . to heartbreaking revelations." -- Booklist

"A refreshing and hopeful teen perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian dilemma." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Abdel-Fattah (Does My Head Look Big in This?) crafts a classic quest . . . The heroine's courage, warmth, and humor despite mounting challenges will win over readers." -- Publishers Weekly

Praise for Ten Things I Hate About Me:

"Written with insight, humor and sensitivity, Abdel-Fattah introduces a winning Muslim-Australian heroine who discovers that 'honesty is liberating.'" -- Kirkus Reviews

"The teen's present-tense narrative is as hilarious as the narrator's in Abdel-Fattah's first book and is just as honest about the shocking prejudice against Muslims. Teens will love the free-flowing, funny dialogue, even as they recognize their own ways of covering up who they are." -- Booklist

"The author brings a welcome sense of humor to Jamilah's insights about her culture, and she is equally adept at more delicate scenes. . . . For all the defining details, Jamilah is a character teens will readily relate to." -- Publishers Weekly

"Beautifully written with well-developed characters, this novel raises very relevant questions about racism and identity that teens of any culture or religion will relate to." -- Romantic Times

"The book will . . . appeal to teens who like stories about outsiders finding their place in the world." -- School Library Journal

Praise for Does My Head Look Big In This?:

* "This breakthrough debut novel . . . [is a] funny, touching contemporary narrative [that] will grab teens everywhere." -- Booklist, starred review

* "Amal... emerges a bright, articulate heroine true to herself and her faith. Abdel-Fattah's fine first novel offers a world of insight." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Refreshing . . . a valuable book." -- New York Times Book Review

"[A] witty, sensitive debut." -- People Magazine

"With an engaging narrator at the helm, Abdel-Fattah's debut novel should open the eyes of many a reader . . . Using a winning mix of humor and sensitivity, Abdel-Fattah ably demonstrates that her heroine is, at heart, a teen like any other. This debut should speak to anyone who has felt like an outsider for any reason." -- Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher