11-year-old Ahmed Sharif lives in the city of Aleppo, Syria. His life is perfectly normal, until the gunshot. The first gunshot of the war. Soldiers fire into a protesting crowd, so Ahmed, his sister Fatima, and his parents pack their things, and take a train to Baghdad in Iraq. When they arrive, they decide to go to another country.

The United States of America.

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In this 1000 word short story, readers will feel like they are in Ahmed's world, the reason why Change is the 1st place winner of the Betty Award; A contest for kids worldwide ranging 8-12 years old, challenging them to write a short story less than 1000 words. The author submitted the book and won first place. To read the book, click the button below to read a PDF version. (Fun fact! Before Ayaan decided Change, the book was titled The Immigrant)

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