Borderline »

Allan Stratton is the author of the internationally acclaimed Michael L. Printz Honor Book Chanda's Secrets. Its numerous citations include the Children's Africana Book Award, Best Book for Older Readers; ALA Booklist Editors' Choice; New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age; and a unanimous vote to the ALA Best Books for Young Adults list. Allan is also the author of the Junior Library Guild selection Chanda's Wars and the ALA Best Book for Young Adults Leslie's Journal. He lives in Toronto with his partner, two cats, and a pond full of fish.

The truth is closing in.

Life's not easy for Sami Sabiri since his dad stuck him at a private school where he's the only Muslim kid. But it's about to get a lot worse.

When Sami catches his father in a lie, he gets suspicious. . . . He's not the only one. In a whirlwind, the FBI descends on his home, and Sami's family becomes the center of an international terrorist investigation. Now Sami must fight to keep his world from unraveling.

An explosive thriller ripped from today's headlines, borderline is the story of a funny, gutsy Muslim-American teen determined to save his father, his family, and his life.

Publishers Weekly

Printz Honor–winner Stratton (Chanda's Secrets) explores the genesis of and fallout from racial and religious discrimination in this thriller about a Muslim boy's life, which is turned on its head when his father is accused of collaborating with Islamic terrorists in a plot to contaminate the water supplies in New York City and Toronto. But 15-year-old Mohammed “Sami” Sabiri has more to worry about than the resulting media circus and his father's incarceration. How can he avoid being bullied at school? How will his mother support the family after being fired? And are the allegations about his father true or are they the result of a scared community and a government embracing prejudice at its worst? When Sami goes undercover to verify his father's innocence, the story reaches a fist-clenching pinnacle before a conclusion that should defy readers' expectations. Despite the sensitive subject matter and potential for sensationalistic writing, Stratton proceeds with a steady hand. It's a powerful story and excellent resource for teaching tolerance, with a message that extends well beyond the timely subject matter. Ages 12–up. (Mar.)