The Ship to Nowhere is a true-to life-story about a 9 year old Jewish girl and her family as they set sail to Israel/Palestine after the Holocaust. , Along with with 450,000 other determined Jewish refugees, homeless and stateless, they board the ship Exodus 147 and collectively resist Britain attempts to coerce them to return to France and France and Germany's attempts force them off the boat. After their ship was destroyed by the British the refugees were put into displacement camps where these heroic and gritty refugees remained steadfastly committed to their goal of living in a Jewish homeland despite grueling and horrific conditions. Finally in 1948 the Jewish state was created and Jewish refugees were allowed to enter the country.

The Ship to Nowhere is perfect for Middle School students. The author uses clear and crisp prose to describe the stories and plight of the refugees. The book is physically beautiful and has pictures of Ruth and her family, the Exodus 147, and important documents and pictures from that journey that only enhances the realism of the story. Due to Ms Arato's vivid storytelling I could smell the horrible smells on the boat, the waves of the roiling sea and and feel the steadfast commitment of these determined refugees to live in a Jewish homeland. She never infantalizes her students and makes it easy for them to imagine themselves inside the story and to connect it to their lives. Especially compelling is that given our national debate on immigration and refugees it is a wonderful catalyst to help students explore the impact on themselves, their families and communities. One of my favorite middle school non-fiction books of the year. ( )

"The Ship to Nowhere" is the true story about the ship "The Exodus 1947" and its passengers trials as they tried to find a home in Palestine after the end of WWII. The book centers on very real people including Rachel Fletcher and her family who along with 4,500 other Jewish refugees were treated very inhumanely for simply wanting a land to call their own and a place where they did not have to fear being Jewish.
The book is well researched and an eye opening read that I think should be in every public library and every school library as well. It is horrifying to think of what these people including very young children had to go through even after the Holocaust.
The only thing I would recommend is that the book would probably come across better in paperback rather than Kindle (I keep trying to change the edition I read but Goodreads won't let me). I found the photos very small and the descriptions of the photos and the story a bit mashed together for the ebook edition and a bit confusing. Otherwise, it is a very powerful book for young people and a story we should not forget.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review. ( )