Susan Muaddi Darraj

An exciting debut novel that gives voice to the diverse residents of a Palestinian American community in Baltimore--from young activists in conflict with their traditional parents to the poor who clean for the rich--lives which intersect across divides of class, generation, and religion. Funny and touching, Behind You Is the Sea brings us into the homes and lives of three main families--the Baladis, the Salamehs, and the Ammars--Palestinian immigrants...

Farah Hajjar is just starting sixth grade at the Magnet Academy when something terrible happens-her house burns down. Even worse, the house fire may be her fault. When her family moves to temporary housing, Farah feels the guilt piling up. Luckily Farah finds comfort in writing, and she channels her energy into starting a creative writing club at her new school. But can Farah convince her new science-focused school to support it?

Feeling guilty over the house fire she might have started, Farah Hajjar channels her energy into starting a creative writing club at the Magnet Academy where she is a new sixth-grader. Includes writing prompts and glossaries.

Eleven-year-old Farah spends much of her summer trying to earn money to attend an enrichment camp at her new school, but someone is sabotaging her by taking down her fliers. Includes instructions for growing crystals and glossaries.

Winner of the 1982 Nobel Prize for Literature, Colombian novelist Gabriel García Márquez is one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century.