Where I Belong

Where I Belong by Gillian Cross. Published by Holiday House, 2011.

Khadija leads a difficult life in Somalia. Survival is a daily struggle- for food, water, a home, and safety in a violent part of the world with no government. Khadija’s father wants more for her and he makes the difficult decision to send her to London, telling her she needs to get a good education. This is the only way she can help her family and other people of Somalia. Khadija knows her father is right, but that doesn’t make this any less difficult. She doesn’t want to leave her family and the only life she has ever known, but she is given no choice.

After Abdi’s father sends the family to London, his father must stay behind in Somolia. Communication with his father is infrequent and eventually Abdi’s family is told that his father is dead, with no further information available. A short time later, the family is asked to take in a young Somali woman. This is how Khadija becomes part of Abdi’s family. Khadija is desperate to help her family and gets a job so she can send money home. Abdi is responsible for escorting her back and forth to work every day.

Their lives change rather dramatically after a chance encounter with the famous designer Sandy Dexter and her daughter Freya. Freya lives with her family and only sees her mother sporadically due to her busy fashion designer schedule. Every year, everything in Sandy Dexter’s life focuses on the London Fashion Week and her latest obsession is Khadija and Somali-inspired fabrics and clothes.

All of these characters and their dreams create a dangerous situation, as the opportunity for Khadija puts her family in grave danger.

This realistic fiction is recommended for grades 8 and up. 

Visit author Gillian Cross's website