Three children from three different eras are bound together by a single, terrifying goal: finding a place where they can finally be safe.
Alan Gratz’s celebrated historical narrative gets a visual rebirth in Refugee: The Graphic Novel, featuring artwork by Syd Fini. Released by Scholastic Graphix in 2025, this adaptation follows three young people across history who are all searching for a safe harbor: Josef escaping Nazi Germany in 1939, Isabel fleeing 1994 Cuba on a makeshift raft, and Mahmoud walking out of a war-torn Syria in 2015. This version is a perfect fit for middle-grade readers because it uses a visual-first approach to handle heavy, high-interest themes. The text is broken down into concise dialogue bubbles and brief captions, keeping sentences short and direct. For students who find traditional novels intimidating, the emotive linework and symbolic use of color provide constant support for comprehension. It effectively bridges the gap for English language learners and reluctant readers by using pictures to clarify vocabulary like “asylum” or “embargo,” ensuring they don’t miss the nuance of these intense survival stories.
As a tool for social change, this book aligns perfectly with UN Sustainable Development Goal 16, which emphasizes peace and justice, as well as the IB Learner Profile trait of being caring. It asks students to look past headlines and see the human face of migration, fostering genuine empathy for those seeking safety. Students could map the migration paths of the characters, comparing the physical obstacles Josef faced at sea with the borders Mahmoud crossed on foot. This visual mapping helps students grasp the continuity of humanitarian crises throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Because the artwork does a large partm of setting the mood and context, a whole class can participate in high-level debates about how courage looks different across time and cultures. The accessible format ensures that reading barriers don’t stand in the way of students developing a sense of global responsibility and a desire to act with compassion in their own communities.
