The Teacher of Nomad Land

 Another great middle school novel, The Teacher of Nomad Land by Daniel Nayeri teaches us all a great lesson.

This novel is a World War II story set in Iran. For me this was a new perspective of the war.  A country that I had not thought about being involved in the war. Iran was a neutral country but it was occupied by both British and Soviet forces.

We meet a two young children, a brother and sister, who have just lost both their parents.  Orphaned and afraid of being separated they set out to meet up with a nomad troop as they travel from their winter home to the their summer land.

Babak needs to prove himself useful to the leader of the tribe to be able to continue along with the nomads.  He carries the heavy blackboard his farther used as a teacher and offers to teach the nomad children as they travel.  His little sister, Sana, proves to be even more compassionate and understanding of the human condition than 12 year Babak.  Together they work against the odds to survive in a barren war torn country.

Along the way they meet a young Jewish boy trying to stay one step ahead of a Nazi hunter.  At first because of the language difference and his appearance they do not trust him. Then as Babak tries to communicate and the children all understand the situation they become allies. 

This is a story of survival, bridging cultural divides and the power of education and empathy.