Review by Booklist Review
High-school senior Kamran Smith is motivated, scholastically and athletically successful, and has a girlfriend. Then his older brother, Darius, a West Point graduate and U.S. Army Ranger whom he idolizes, is accused of defecting to al-Qaeda. No sooner has Kamran begun to cope with the immediate personal fallout of lost friendships, reporters camped on his family's doorstep, and his own doubts about his brother than he himself is kidnapped by the federal government. Gratz plunges likable Kamran into a series of fast-paced, political-thriller adventures. The wide cast of characters includes a former CIA operative with Belfast roots; a PTSD-suffering, disgraced ex-Ranger; and an agent who shares with Kamran her feelings about her Middle Eastern heritage, particularly how it has no bearing on her American citizenship and patriotism. Government secret ops, terrorist infiltration, boyhood games featuring Star Wars tropes, and a rich description of Kamran's emotional experience combine into a brisk, eye-opening morality tale and satisfying suspense story. Pair this with Michael Koryta's Alex Award-winning Those Who Wish Me Dead (2014).--Goldsmith, Francisca Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up-Seventeen-year-old Kamran Smith is a typical American high school student. He plays football, has a girlfriend and friends, plans to attend West Point after he graduates, and has an older brother he idolizes, Darius, a U.S. Army Ranger. But when Darius is captured in Afghanistan and is then seen on television appearing to work alongside terrorists, Kamran and his family are viewed with suspicion. People, including all of Kamran's friends, begin to distance themselves from the family. Fear, discrimination, and prejudice begin to rear their heads, as well as anti-Muslim and anti-Arab sentiment. Homeland Security eventually detains the family. And Kamran still has to deal with his own questions and doubts about his brother's loyalty. As more footage airs, Kamran begins to believe that Darius may be trying to send coded messages to him. Determined to prove that his brother is not a traitor, Kamran enlists the help of a CIA operative. This riveting work, narrated by Dan Bittner, moves at a furious and intense pace. Because the story deals with events taken from today's headlines, it takes on a gritty and frightening plausibility. VERDICT A fast-paced, relevant, and well-crafted story that will keep listeners guessing whether Darius is or is not a traitor. ["A winner for independent reading and deeper discussion with its timely topic, strong writing, and appealing characters": SLJ 7/15 review of the Scholastic book.]-Mary -Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Darius, an Iranian American Army Ranger, is captured in Afghanistan and appears to have turned traitor. Kamran, his younger brother, believes Darius has been coerced and sets out to prove his innocence. Kamran experiences hair-raising adventures and narrow escapes as he foils a major terrorist attempt during the Super Bowl. This fast-paced novel is contrived and improbable but will be a page-turner for thriller buffs. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
An Iranian-American teen's faith in his beloved brother is pushed to the limit when it appears that he may be involved in a terrorist attack on the U.S. Embassy in Turkey. High school senior Kamran and his parents are stunned when his brother, Darius, a U.S. Army Ranger, appears in a video following the embassy bombing, disheveled and rambling, claiming responsibility for the attack. The family's descent into a constantly monitored nightmare of confusion is believably horrific. When Kamran notices that Darius seems to be slipping references into his posted videos about imaginary games they used to play as children, his parents don't believe it could be a clue that all is not as it seems. Only when Kamran is wrested from his home by Homeland Security, bound, drugged, and spirited away to an unknown detention facility, does he meet an ally. Readers will be swept up by both the intrigue of puzzling out the truth behind Darius' presumed guilt and by the rapid pacing. Short, intricately plotted chapters spur the story forward, and the audience will be constantly unsure about who can be trusted. Action sequences are a little unlikely; readers may find it hard to believe that one teen can take on so many militarily trained adults. Quibbles aside, Kamran is a smart and sympathetic narrator, and readers will be happy to spend time with him in this action-packed thriller. (Adventure. 14-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
