Sami's Silver Lining by Cathy Cassidy

Sami's Silver Lining is the eagerly anticipated second book in The Lost & Found series by Cathy Cassidy, following on from Love From Lexie. I got the book the day before it came out luckily and I was really excited to read it as we don't hear much about quiet refugee boy Sami in Love From Lexie.
Sami tells the story of his family life back home in Syria and the traumatic, difficult journey him and his family face fleeing from the conflict in Syria. I very quickly felt sad for Sami and his family and I rooted for him on his journey. I had to keep reading to see how his journey turned out. It was really eye-opening for me and it also made me feel really sad that this is what real children have to go through to escape conflict in their home country. The news doesn't tell us specific, personal stories like these. It often tells me things I don't fully understand so the book brought the current affairs in Syria more to life for me. I enjoyed the symbolism in the book too (you'll have to read it to find out what Sami's 'silver lining' really means!)
The book also continues on the story of the Lost & Found band through the eyes of Sami. It was really interesting to see the band from Sami's point of view and catching up with the other members of the band. I loved reading as Sami finds his voice and his confidence within the band, as well as some romance! I also enjoyed the references to sweet treats, which I have come to love about all of Cathy Cassidy's books!
There is a really shocking ending to the book, which I never saw coming, it was brilliant and made me love the book even more! I hope lots of real refugee children have a similar ending to their stories.
The book made me want to find out more about refugees, particularly children, and find out ways which I could help them.If you liked Love From Lexie, you have to read Sami's Silver Lining. If you haven't read either, you have to read BOTH now!

I can't wait for the next book in the Lost & Found series (I wonder who will be next?!) and I'm looking forward to going to a Sami's Silver Lining event at a local book festival this summer!

 Picture of me reading Sami's Silver Lining