Review Detail

CHILDREN OF REFUGE is the second in a series by Margaret Peterson Haddix in which the main characters, Rosi and Edwy, have spent the first twelve years of their lives being fostered in Fredtown (along with the other children of Earth their age and younger) by Freds--a peace-loving community whose goal it is to raise the kids in their care to be non-violent, thoughtful, and sympathetic to others. The series starts as the children are being returned to their birth parents, and the first book, CHILDREN OF EXILE, which I reviewed here, http://www.yabookscentral.com/yafiction/22358-children-of-exile, chronicles Rosi's struggles to adapt as she returns to her parents in Cursed City. In CHILDREN OF REFUGE, Edwy is the narrator, and he has been relocated to Refuge City where he tries to adapt to life without parental supervision and with siblings that he didn't know existed until he was packed up to move into their home.

During his time in Fredtown, Edwy was always questioning the Freds and he was something of a troublemaker, but his brief time in Cursed City taught him that the Freds' way of living might not be worthy of the number of eye rolls he dished out. Edwy has also learned that the traits that caused trouble for him in Fredtown might be the very things that keep him and others alive as their world is turned up-side-down.

CHILDREN OF REFUGE continues the themes of peace and acceptance introduced in CHILDREN OF EXILE, and I found Edwy's perspective to be even more engrossing than Rosi's. The action in CHILDREN OF REFUGE is constant, and Edwy's persistence in seeking answers leads to a lot more revelations for the characters--and readers. As with the first in the series, CHILDREN OF REFUGE ends with a cliff-hanger, and the next book in the series cannot come fast enough! Haddix masterfully builds tension while telling Edwy's story in an approachable way that will have middle grade readers enthralled.

My thanks to the publisher and YA Books Central for a copy of the book in exchange for my unbiased review.