The Turtle of Oman
SynopsisPlot
Aref does not want to leave Oman. He does not want to leave his elementary school, his friends, or his beloved grandfather, Sidi. He does not want to live in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where his parents will go to graduate school. His mother is desperate for him to pack his suitcase—but he refuses. Finally, she calls Sidi for help. But rather than pack, Aref and Sidi go on a series of adventures. They visit the camp of a thousand stars deep in the desert, they sleep on Sidi’s roof, they fish in the Gulf of Oman and dream about going to India, and they travel to the nature reserve to watch the sea turtles. At each stop, Sidi finds a small stone that he later slips into Aref’s suitcase—mementos of home.
Story
About this book
Aref is a young boy living in Oman who learns that his family will soon move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where his parents plan to attend graduate school. He does not want to go. He does not want to leave his school, his friends, or his grandfather, Sidi. When his mother asks him to pack his suitcase, he refuses. She turns to Sidi for help, but instead of persuading the boy to pack, Sidi takes him on a series of outings across the country.
Together they camp under open skies deep in the desert, sleep on Sidi's rooftop, fish in the Gulf of Oman, and visit a nature reserve where sea turtles come ashore. At each place, Sidi quietly collects a small stone that he later tucks into Aref's suitcase, giving the boy physical reminders of home to carry with him. The story follows the days before departure rather than the move itself, grounding its tension in the ordinary difficulty of saying goodbye to a landscape and a person you love.
Naomi Shihab Nye sets the book firmly in Oman's geography, from its desert interior to its coastline. The novel received a 2015 Middle East Book Award and was named a Notable Book by the American Library Association.
