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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Monmouth Public Library | YA Fic Carleson, J. 2014 | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
"Filled with political intrigue and emotional tension, Carleson's riveting novel features a teenage refugee caught in a web of deceit and conspiracy." -- PW, starred review
When her father is killed in a coup, Laila and her mother and brother leave their war-torn homeland for a fresh start in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.
At her new high school, Laila makes mistakes, makes friends, and even meets a boy who catches her eye. But this new life brings unsettling facts to light. The American newspapers call her father a brutal dictator and suggest that her family's privilege came at the expense of innocent lives. Meanwhile, her mother would like nothing more than to avenge his death, and she'll go to great lengths to regain their position of power.
As an international crisis takes shape around her, Laila is pulled in one direction, then another, but there's no time to sort out her feelings. She has to pick a side now, and her decision will affect not just her own life, but countless others. . . .
Praise for The Tyrant's Daughter:
"Carleson, a former undercover CIA officer, infuses her story with compelling details and gripping authenticity." -- The Boston Globe
"Every American should read this book. It's an eye-opener." --Suzanne Fisher Staples, Newbery Honor-winning author of Shabanu
Author Notes
J. C. CARLESON is a former undercover CIA officer who has navigated war zones, jumped out of airplanes, and worked on the frontlines of international conflicts. She now writes when she's not traveling the globe with her husband and two young sons. Her previous publications include Cloaks and Veils, and Work Like a Spy: Business Tips from a Former CIA Officer.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up-Whisked from her Middle Eastern home to an American high school, Laila tries to understand both past events and what's going on in the present. Was her father really a king, or the tyrant the American media describe? Thoughtful Laila's assimilation is complicated by her mother's conspiratorial meetings with the CIA and the local cell of a rebel faction. While Laila thinks she is crumbling, her manipulative mother is scheming to forward her own interests. Some implausible details diminish this good story's suspenseful ending. Dramatic descriptions-the news being "tidy sound bites and anemic explanations" stop short of overload. Meera Simhan's narration is excellent. Her timing and tone fit the imagined Laila perfectly. Simhan's variations fit the other characters and it is effortless to keep them straight. An author's note and commentary by Dr. Cheryl Benard (no credentials are included) shed light on Middle Eastern politics. High school students should enjoy this insight into war-torn world; some may be inspired to research further.-Jane Newschwander, Fluvanna County Public Schools, VA (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
When her Middle Eastern dictator father was killed in a coup, Laila, her mother, and her younger brother flee the country. Now a teenager, Laila must adapt to life in the U.S. as her family tries to recover from its loss of power. Laila is slowly adapting to her new life, but her mother longs to return to the life she left behind. And now, Laila must decide what her future holds. Narrator Simhan turns in a solid performance in this audio edition. She provides Laila an appropriate Middle-Eastern accent and her tone reflects that of a teenager acclimating to a new culture. But Simhan shines brightest during the book's moments of tension, generating a subtle range of emotions. Add in a fine performance from Benard, and the result is an audio edition that makes for compelling listening. Ages 12-up. A Knopf hardcover (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
After her father, the king of an unnamed Middle Eastern country, is assassinated in a coup, fifteen-year-old Laila, her mother, and her younger brother find themselves living in a tiny apartment in a D.C. suburb. They've been escorted there by the CIA officer who rescued them from certain death in exchange for Laila's mother's cooperation. So far, though, the former queen has been less than helpful, and Laila soon suspects that her mother, determined to return home, is in cahoots with her brother-in-law, the very man who killed her husband. The author, a former undercover CIA officer, tells a suspenseful story in which Laila, surrounded by manipulation and lies, risks everything to do the right thing. But the book isn't entirely plot driven. Readers will be intrigued by Laila's culture shock at the "differences between Old Life and New Life" as she walks around town alone and unveiled, attends high school classes, and even goes on dates. Most engrossing, though, is Laila's heartbreaking disbelief at the information she uncovers via library books and the internet -- that her beloved father was not a king at all, but a dictator: "My father had no adoring empire, and his was an authority based more on bloodshed than blood right." Even more anguishing are her interactions with young Amir, another refugee from her country, whose family was decimated during her father's reign. The book's ending will haunt readers, who will feel fully invested in Laila and the difficult future that awaits her. jennifer m. brabander (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A teenage girl from an unnamed Middle Eastern country attempts to come to terms with her dictator father's bloody legacy in this absorbing character-driven novel authored by a former CIA official. Fifteen-year-old Laila lives in a shabby apartment outside of Washington, D.C., with her mother and little brother. She misses her homeland, but return is impossible since her uncle had her father assassinated and took control of the government. "I'm half Here. I'm half There. I'm a girl divided, which is to say I'm no one at all." While her mother schemes with both American officials and rebels from their country to remedy their untenable situation, Laila reluctantly begins to enjoy the simple freedoms of school and friendships. But worrisome thoughts of her mother's secretive phone calls and the mysterious CIA agent who lurks around their apartment are never far from her mind. And how will she ever reconcile what she now knows about her father the dictator with the loving man who raised her? Carleson shrewdly makes what has become a sadly familiar story on the evening news accessible by focusing on the experiences of one innocent girl at the center of it. Laila is a complex and layered character whose nuanced observations will help readers better understand the divide between American and Middle Eastern cultures. Smart, relevant, required reading. (author's note, commentary, further reading) (Fiction. 13 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Removed from her unnamed Middle Eastern country after her father is murdered during a coup, 15-year-old Laila is now living near Washington D. C. with her mother and brother. In addition to navigating an American high school, Laila tries to act as guardian to her younger brother, Bastien, now the King of Nowhere, and as her mother's spy by getting close to Amir, a teenage boy from her country involved in the resistance. Laila is a strong narrator, expressing her feelings about American dress and social interactions in ways that will get readers thinking. Being raised in the palace, Laila was immune to many of the difficulties of life in her country and never saw her father as a dictator or harsh ruler, raising a very real question about the children of world leaders: Do they see their parents as the world sees them? This is more than just Laila's story; rather, it is a story of context, beautifully written (by a former undercover CIA agent), and stirring in its questions and eloquent observations about our society and that of the Middle East.--Erickson, Tiffany Copyright 2014 Booklist