ARC Review: Kicked Out by A.M. Dassu

Kicked Out by A.M. Dassu

Publisher: Tu Books

Publication Date: April 23, 2024

Library Purchase: Absolutely!

Synopsis

After their friend Mark's mum wins the lottery and gets a giant house with an indoor pool, Ali and Sami have been having the time of their lives hanging at Mark's house. Even their friend Aadam gets a job there, which means he can make more money for his legal battle for UK residency. But when some money goes missing, Aadam is accused of stealing it--and all three boys are unceremoniously kicked out of Mark's house in suspicion.

On top of that, Ali's dad, who abandoned the family when Ali was little, is suddenly turning up everywhere in town, and a half-brother Ali never knew has shown up at Ali's school. Ali feels miserable and resentful about it, making it hard to be a good friend.

The boys know Aadam is innocent, and if he doesn't raise thousands of pounds right away, he could get deported back to Syria amidst its civil war. At least Ali has a plan: they'll host a charity football penalty match to raise money for Aadam so he can stay in the UK.

But can Ali pull together the match--even if he feels his whole life at home is falling apart?

Review

What a timely story. In Kicked Out, Ali and his friends are working to raise money to pay for lawyer fees for a friend seeking asylum for the war in Syria. While the book is from Ali's perspective as opposed to his friend seeking asylum Aadam, something about that adds to the power of the story when you consider who it's written for. Many stories would be written from the perspective of the refugee to help readers connect, but I really liked this set up. I hope that with the proper adult assistance, readers really connect as they read about Aadam and how Ali is working to help his friends despite his own life struggles,. It can go a long way toward building empathy during a time when it can be sorely lacking.

I think tying in the story about Ali's family, particularly his father and step brother was an interesting plot point, and written in an honest way. Reconnections like that aren't always rainbows and open hugs. At first glance it doesn't seem to fit with the greater narrative but it makes Ali so relatable and there's something so wonderful about seeing how Ali's friends support him, no questions asked.

I would absolutely suggest Kicked out to middle grade readers and can't wait to purchase this title for my library.