Other Words for Home

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

Paperback
Pages: 342
Date of Release: 6 April 2021

Literary awards : Newbery Medal Nominee (2020), Arab American Book Award Nominee for Children's/Young Adult (2020), Garden State Book Award Nominee for Fiction (2022), Vermont Golden Dome Book Award Nominee (2021), California Young Readers Medal Nominee for Intermediate (2022), Ohioana Book Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Literature (2020), Truman Readers Award Nominee (2022), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Middle Grade & Children's (2019), NCTE Charlotte Huck Honor Book (2020), Walter Dean Myers Award Nominee for Younger Readers Category (2020), Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award Nominee (2022), Ignyte Award Nominee for Best in MG (2020)

Told in poignant, lyrical verse, Other Words for Home is a hopeful and deeply moving middle-grade novel about belonging, identity, and the meaning of home.

Jude has always lived in Syria, surrounded by the warmth of family, familiar streets, and her dreams of becoming an actress. She never imagined leaving her beloved brother and father behind. But when life in her hometown grows dangerous, Jude and her mother are forced to flee to the United States, settling in Cincinnati with relatives.

America is nothing like the movies Jude loves. School feels overwhelming, the language sounds too fast, and for the first time, Jude is labeled as “Middle Eastern”—an identity she is still learning to understand. Yet amid the confusion and loneliness, Jude begins to find unexpected kindness: new friends, a larger family, and the courage to audition for a school musical.

As Jude navigates loss, hope, and self-discovery, she slowly learns that home isn’t just a place—it’s also the space where you are truly seen and accepted.

Tender, compassionate, and beautifully written, Other Words for Home is a powerful story of migration, resilience, and finding your voice in a new world.

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