The phenomenon of desperate refugees risking their lives to reach safety
is not new. For hundreds of years, people have left behind family,
friends, and all they know in hope of a better life. This book presents
five true stories about young people who lived through the harrowing
experience of setting sail in search of asylum: Ruth and her family
board the St. Louis to escape Nazism; Phu sets out alone from war-torn
Vietnam; José tries to reach the U.S. from Cuba; Najeeba flees
Afghanistan and the Taliban; Mohamed, an orphan, runs from his village
on the Ivory Coast. Aimed at middle grade students, Stormy Seas combines
a contemporary collage-based design, sidebars, fact boxes, timeline and
further reading to produce a book that is ideal for both reading and
research. Readers will gain new insights into a situation that has
constantly been making the headlines.