We Are All That’s Left
Author: Carrie Arcos
Her mother in a coma after an explosion at a farmer’s market, Zara seeks to uncover her tragic past. Chapters alternate between modern Rhode Island and 1990s Bosnia.
Our Young Reviewer Says:
We are All That’s Left by Carrie Arcos is a very compelling story that portrays a very strong message about the importance of staying strong through hard times, and not assuming things about people. Although the story does start off fairly slowly, it quickly picked up and became very exciting.
I especially liked that parts were based in Bosnia when Nadja [the mother] was narrating, as it was the most action-packed part of the book, for you had no idea who could die next. I think the two different settings of the story combine very nicely, since the Bosnian part answers a lot of questions about the US part, and vice versa.
I think the amount of violence was right where it should be, too little and the story would feel bland, and too much would result in it being very gore-y. All in all, I think this story is great for Junior High students, and it portrays an important message.
– Ben, 15 years old, Emporia, KS.
Young people who are interested in reviewing are invited to do so as we welcome the individual perspective of our age appropriate readers. If you are interested in being a reviewer, contact bookcom@bankstreet.edu.
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