The best children’s books about refugees

Pam Muñoz Ryan’s Esperanza Rising is a classic for a reason. Written in a simple but poetic voice, this compelling story grabbed me from the start. Esperanza lives a pampered life on her family’s ranch in Mexico—until the unthinkable happens. She is forced to flee with her mother to a camp in California, where the Great Depression has dried up all prospects. Weighed by grief and faced with her harsh new life, Esperanza can sink under the pressure and be broken—or she can rise. Absolutely beautiful, full of depth and hope.

When my uncle was dying, he asked me for more books that felt like The Eleventh Trade. This was the first one I sent him. But it’s really the other way around—I can only aspire to write with a thimble of Pam Muñoz Ryan’s power.

Amira is twelve and living in a small Sudanese village. Her biggest dream: to go to school. But then her home is shattered when the Janjaweed attack. These chapters around the attack capture the emotion of witnessing a traumatic event with such power—and all in a way children and adults can both appreciate. With what remains of her family, Amira takes to the road. Her dream of education has never been farther from reality…until a stranger gives her a red pencil. This book in verse is urgent and beautiful in its portrayal of displacement. 

At my first official event as a published author, I got to sit on a panel with Andrea Davis Pinkney. Hearing her read the chapter "Is This Happening?" in person stole my breath away.

Red, our narrator, is an oak tree. For many rings of her life, she has watched the neighborhood and collected wishes on her branches. Then a new family moves in. Not everyone is welcoming, but Red—with the help of the animals who live in her hollows—sets out to bring her little community together.

Katherine Applegate’s sparse but poignant prose has been an inspiration ever since I read The One and Only Ivan. In Wishtree, she brings the same light touch to a story about outsiders, loneliness, and friendship. I aspired to do something similar when I was writing The Eleventh Trade: Capture the quiet but immense power of community.

Stormy Seas is a compelling collection of true stories about the child refugees who had to take to the water throughout history. With a diverse cast and engaging visual design, this book is a great introduction to the topic for middle-grade readers. Even adults might be surprised by some of the stories. 

The story of Najeeba, fleeing from Afghanistan, particularly spoke to me during my research for The Eleventh Trade. Though my main character only speaks briefly of his journey across the Mediterranean, stories like Najeeba’s helped make the dangers of that voyage real for me. A quick but intense read that opens the door to important conversations with children. 

When bombs fall on Nadia’s home, she’s separated from her family in the middle of a war. Over the course of a few short, dangerous days, she has to find a way through her destroyed city to her parents. With startling detail, N.H. Senzai captures the frenzy and peril of Nadia’s situation. 

N.H. Senzai also writes wonderful books about Afghan refugees, like Shooting Kabul, but I personally found Escape from Aleppo her best work so far. I read it all in a gulp, and came out with a deeper understanding of what even a tiny slice of the refugee experience can look like.