Every year on June 20th, World Refugee Day honors the strength, resilience, and hope of millions who have been forced to flee their homes. So today, I bring you books, from heartfelt picture books to powerful novels and memoirs. Each of these is sure to open hearts and minds to the refugee experience. Whether you’re looking to learn, reflect, or share with young readers, these refugee stories remind us of a simple truth: home is not always where we begin, but where we find safety, dignity, and belonging.

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Refugee Stories for Every Shelf

💬 Note: I haven’t read every single one of these books—though I’ve read and loved more than half of them—but I would still wholeheartedly recommend each one. Whether through firsthand experience or research and trusted reviews, these titles have earned their place on this list for the powerful and necessary stories they share.

🧸 Five Picture Books That Say So Much

• Brothers in Hope : The Story of the Lost Boys of the Sudan by Mary Williams, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie (Picture Book | Ages 7–10). Based on true events, this moving tale follows a young boy’s journey of survival and community during the Sudanese civil war.
• The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinknet and , illustrated by Shane W. Evans (Novel-in-verse with illustrations | Ages 9–12). Amira’s voice shines through poetry and art as she clings to dreams of education amid upheaval in Darfur.
• Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini, illustrated by Dan Williams (Picture Book | Ages 10+). A father’s poetic letter to his son before a perilous sea crossing, inspired by the Syrian refugee crisis.
• Story Boat by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh (Picture Book | Ages 4–8). A gentle, metaphor-rich tale showing how imagination and small treasures can bring comfort in times of displacement.
• Tani’s New Home : A Refugee Finds Hope and Kindness in America by Tanitoluwa Adewumi, illustrated by Courtney Dawson (Picture Book | Ages 6–9). The true story of a Nigerian refugee boy whose resilience and talent in chess capture hearts across the world.

🎒YA to Adult Refugee Fictional Reads That Resonate

• Amnesty by Aravind Adiga (Fiction | Adult). A Sri Lankan man living undocumented in Australia must decide whether to expose a murderer—risking everything for justice.
• The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri (Fiction | Adult). A tender, sensory-driven novel about a Syrian couple’s dangerous escape and emotional healing after trauma.
• The Boat People by Sharon Bala (Fiction | Adult). When a boatload of Tamil refugees lands in Canada, their stories unravel in gripping layers of hope, fear, and suspicion.
• Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (Fiction with Magical Realism | Adult). Through enchanted doors, two lovers flee their war-torn homeland and face the internal and external shifts of migration.
• Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys (Historical Fiction | YA/Adult crossover). Four young refugees find their paths tragically converging during the WWII sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff.

🎨 Graphic Novels – Fiction, Nonfiction, & In Between

• Alpha: Abidjan to Gare du Nord by Bessora & Barroux (Fiction inspired by real journeys | YA/Adult). Told in a raw, journal-like format. Follows Alpha as he journeys from Côte d’Ivoire to Paris, hoping to reunite with his wife and child.
• The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui (Graphic Memoir | YA/Adult). A deeply personal journey of family, identity, and the lasting legacy of fleeing Vietnam.
• Hakim’s Odyssey (series) by Fabien Toulmé (Graphic Nonfiction | YA/Adult). Hakim recounts his gripping journey from Syria to France, full of setbacks, survival, and quiet determination.
• Illegal by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin, illustrated by Giovanni Rigano (Graphic Fiction | MG/YA). Ebo’s treacherous journey from Ghana to Europe is brought vividly to life in this powerful visual narrative.
• Welcome to the New World by Jake Halpern, illustrated by Michael Sloan (Graphic Nonfiction | YA/Adult). A Syrian family navigates their first year in the U.S. in this honest, hopeful, and visually striking graphic memoir.

📘 Nonfiction for All

• Call Me American by Abdi Nor Iftin (Memoir | YA/Adult). A gripping journey from war-torn Somalia to becoming a proud (and eventually legal) American citizen.
• The Cat I Never Named: A True Story of Love, War, and Survival by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess (Memoir | YA). A Muslim teen’s story of surviving genocide in Bosnia—guided by resilience, family love, and a mysterious stray cat.
• The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After by Clemantine Wamariya and Elizabeth Weil (Memoir | YA/Adult). From refugee camps to elite U.S. schools, Clemantine’s moving memoir traces the trauma and reconstruction of a life in exile.
• Mango and Peppercorns: A Memoir of Food, an Unlikely Family, and the American Dream by Tung Nguyen, Katherine Manning, and Lyn Nguyen (Memoir with Recipes | Adult). A heartfelt account of food, family, and resilience across cultures, born from the bond between a Vietnamese refugee and her American friend.
• Stormy Seas: Stories of Young Boat Refugees by Mary Beth Leatherdale, illustrated by Eleanor Shakespeare (Nonfiction Anthology | MG/YA). Five historical refugee journeys by boat—told through profiles, quotes, and archival visuals—speak across time to today’s crises

🌟 And then Five More, Just Because…

• The Arrival by Shaun Tan (Wordless Graphic Fiction | All Ages). A surreal, deeply moving depiction of immigration and alienation—told without a single word.
• The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel (Historical Fiction | Adult). A librarian and forger helps Jewish children escape during WWII, even as her own identity fades into secrecy.
• My Name is Not Refugee by Kate Milner (Picture Book | Ages 7–10). A child’s perspective on the refugee journey challenges adult assumptions and calls for compassion.
• When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed (Graphic Memoir | MG/YA). A touching and humorous graphic memoir of two Somali brothers growing up in a Kenyan refugee camp.
• The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman (Narrative Nonfiction | YA/Adult). The true story of a Polish couple who hid Jews in their zoo during WWII—an inspiring testament to courage.

The Bookish Five featuring

Home of the Brave

(1 & 2) Book Beginnings and First Line Friday

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY is hosted by Rose City Reader. What book are you happy about reading this week? Please share the opening sentence (or so) on BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY! Add the link to your blog or social media post and visit other blogs to see what others are reading.

Happy Friday and welcome to the FIRST LINE FRIDAY, hosted by Reading is My Superpower! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line.

3 Friday 56

THE FRIDAY 56 is hosted by Anne at HeadFullofBooks. To play, open a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% on your e-reader). Find a sentence or two and post them, along with the book title and author. Then link up and visit others in the linky. 

4 Book Blogger Hop

The purpose of THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, and befriend other bloggers. THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.  

20th – 26th – Have you ever ventured out of your preferred genres? If so, were you surprised you enjoyed the book? 

I read a wide variety of books across age-groups and genres, and while I do have preferred genres, I am almost never surprised that I enjoyed a book! But I do recall that feeling about some books – like not expecting to enjoy them as much as I did (or devouring them in one sitting, or sooner than I expected to), like with this set of books.

 5 More Middle Grade Refugee Stories

• Cuba in My Pocket by Adrianna Cuevas (Historical Fiction | Ages 9–13). After Fidel Castro takes over Cuba, twelve-year-old Cumba is sent alone to the U.S., navigating exile, identity, and hope in a strange new world.
• Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhhà Lai (Verse Novel | Ages 8–12). Told in lyrical verse, Hà chronicles her family’s escape from war-torn Vietnam and the emotional challenges of resettling in Alabama.
• Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar (Verse Novel | Ages 9–13). A beautifully written novel-in-verse following Betita, a young girl grappling with the trauma of ICE detention while holding onto dreams and ancestry.
• Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga (Verse Novel | Ages 9–13). Jude moves from Syria to the U.S. and slowly finds her voice and sense of belonging in this hopeful, award-winning novel-in-verse.
• Refugee by Alan Gratz (Historical/Contemporary Fiction | Ages 10–14). Three intertwining stories—Nazi Germany, 1990s Cuba, and modern Syria—show the courage and resilience of young refugees across time. (Graphic novel edition coming October 2025!)

And Now, the End of This Post

Dear reader, which of these refugee stories resonates with you, and which one would you pick first? Also, which stories have helped you understand the refugee journey better? Do share them with me, so we can all read and reflect – one page at a time.