Shooting Kabul, N.H. Senzai

Shooting Kabul is a beautiful story of a little sister lost, then found. The book follows Fadi, an 11 year old boy who flees Afghanistan with his family for San Fransisco to avoid the Taliban. They reach San Fransisco safely but lose Fadi's sister Miriam along the way. Fadi remains with a terrible sense of guilt, because he feels he was responsible for losing Miriam.
Fadi also struggles with his cultural identity, and how it differs from others at his new home. He lives in Fremont, which has a high Afghan population, but it is still very different from real Afghanistan. He tries to assimilate and learn American culture and food, but finds it doesn't fit him.
However, when a free trip to Kashmir is promised to the kid who can take the best photo for a photo contest, Fadi sees it as his opportunity to find Miriam and redeem himself. Amidst bigoted remarks from bullies at school, Fadi grapples with his identity, culture, and guilt.

-Chris, 8th grade, CSCL