A simple, resonant, and utterly heart-shattering debut about greed, love, trust and what matters most when your world falls apart.

A war-torn country . . . only one way out.Ten-year-old Malik's world is falling apart. Soldiers have invaded town, and his mother is missing, leaving Malik with his grandfather, Papa. Along with a thousand other refugees, their hope for escape to a new life lies in gaining passage aboard one ship--but the demand for tickets is high, and so is the cost. Can they make it on? And will they find Mama before the ship departs? When things don't go as planned, Malik must summon all of his courage and resourcefulness to survive.A heart-wrenching and suspenseful story of sacrifice and resilience, CLOSE TO THE WIND confronts the realities of war in a timeless and accessible way.