Common Sense Media Review
By Lucinda Dyer
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Powerful story of teen risking all during Syrian Revolution.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
AS LONG AS THE LEMON TREES GROW is set in Homs, Syria, in the early days of the Syrian Revolution. Salama Kassab was studying to be a pharmacist until the fighting began but now finds herself working at a hospital so desperate for anyone with any kind of medical training that she sometimes works as a surgeon. Her days are filled with the dead and dying and she's struggling with PTSD. Salama's mother has died in a bombing and her father and brother have been taken prisoner by government forces. Salama's promised her brother that, no matter what happens, she'll make certain her pregnant sister-in-law, Layla, is safe. Salama knows the only way for them to have a chance at being truly safe is to pay a smuggler to take them on a potentially deadly journey by boat to Turkey and then on to Germany. But she's torn between staying to help at the hospital and keeping the promise she made to her brother. When a young man named Kenan comes to the hospital asking for help for his sister, Salama agrees to come to their home to treat her. As the two begin talking, they realize their parents had once planned to introduce them with the hope they'd someday be married. It's not long before Salama's decision about leaving or staying becomes even more complicated, as she and Kenan are falling in love. And Kenan has his own decision to make. Does he continue videoing the violence and posting it to his YouTube channel so the world can see what's happening in Homs, or does he leave Syria and take his younger sister and brother to safety?
Is It Any Good?
This is the story of war told not through the eyes of a soldier, but through the bravery and determination of a teenage girl forced to come of age too soon. Some readers may find the nonstop violence in As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow overwhelming, but it's that violence that offers teens a powerful lesson about the cost of war paid by the most vulnerable among us.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the decisions Salama has to make in As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow. Would you have stayed in Syria or risked your life trying to get to Germany?
How have refugee families treated in your community?
What affects you more, watching violence in a movie or videogame or reading about it in a novel?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Contemporary Fiction
- Topics : Activism , Friendship
- Character Strengths : Compassion , Courage , Perseverance
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : September 13, 2022
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 17
- Number of pages : 432
- Available on : Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate