Samir and Yonatan

Ragina Shearer
5653 Multicultural Children’s and Young Adult Literature
Book Review – Inclusive Literature

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Carmi, Daniella. 1994. SAMIR AND YONATAN. New York, New York.
ISBN 0-439-13504-4.

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Samir a boy from the occupied West Bank of Palestine crushes his knee in a bicycle injury and he must stay in a Jewish hospital awaiting surgery. He is still in mourning from the death of his younger brother, Fadi. “There was a time when Dad also talked to me. That was before he went into this silence of his.” Scared and alone he waits not knowing what will happen next while he tries to understand the other six Jewish kids in his hospital room. Here he learns acceptance, compassion, and most of all forgiveness. Finally he escapes with his new friend Yonatan into a computer world of outer space he is able to tell his younger brother Fadi goodbye. Speaking from the computer land of Mars Samir tells Fadi, “We’re improving a new world free from troubles.”


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
This book is written for readers ages 10 and up. It is an excellent resource for use in dealing with bitterness and conflicts regarding races and cultures. This book was originally written in Hebrew and later translated. It was written for children of Middle Eastern descent, but given the background all children can relate to being scared and alone among those he/she believes to be his/her enemies. This is a slow paced novel, but in this slow pace the reader is given time to absorb and relate to the boy’s range of feelings. Religion is not a topic of this story, but Allah is mentioned in an expression repeated several times, “Allah knows where.”

The story is a narrative told in first person by Samir. His thoughts take the story back and forth from the past to the present. Remembering the curfews in his home town where he left behind a friend, Adnan. “We talked about the sea and the cinema, but we didn’t really believe there was a world outside the darkened village.”

The Palestinian boy is forced to remain in an Israeli hospital for a needed knee surgery while he awaits the arrival of the American surgeon. He must stay in a room with six other child patients whom he feels bitterness since he holds resentment to their people for his brother’s death.

Ludmilla one of the other patients refuses to eat. “I can see she wants to, only somebody forbade her to touch food.” Samir attempts to help her by saying his secret magic words under his covers. Razia the other girl patient is fearful of her father, but when at last protected by her new friends he visits and the two re-unite.

Yonatan and his fascination and knowledge of the stars intrigue Samir. “Even in hard times. Stars don’t vanish when there’s curfew.” Yonatan helps Samir to find the land of escape through the computer game as they travel through space. “I can’t take my eyes off the screen, of this other world that Yonatan swims in like a fish in water…” Here at last Samir finds peace and forgiveness.


4. REVIEW EXCERPT (S)
The Batchelder Award
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “A Palestinian boy comes to terms with his younger brother's death by an Israeli soldier in this slow-paced but affecting novel originally published in Hebrew in 1994.”
THE PUBLISHER: “This is a story of violence and healing -the story of a boy facing the enemy he has been taught to fear.”
CHILDREN’S LITERATURE: “He is also drawn to Yonatan, who includes Samir in his quest for knowledge of the stars and planets and his computer-adventure game to Mars.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Gr 4-8-Riding his bicycle down the market steps, a young Palestinian falls and smashes his knee so badly that he needs surgery.”


5. CONNECTIONS
Recommended for ages 10 an up, would be great for a read aloud to lead into discussion of tolerance and acceptance of others.

Another versions of this book by Daniella Carmi is:
Carmi, Daniella. Samir and Jonathon En El Planeta Marte. ISBN 13- 9788489804135