Ida in the Middle by Nora Lester Murad

Ida, a Palestinian-American girl, eats a magic olive that takes her to the life she might have had in her parents’ village near Jerusalem. An important coming of age story that explores identity, place, voice, and belonging.

Every time violence erupts in the Middle East, Ida knows what’s coming next. Some of her classmates treat her like it’s all her fault—just for being Palestinian! In eighth grade, Ida is forced to move to a different school. But people still treat her like she’ll never fit in. Ida wishes she could disappear.

One day, dreading a final class project, Ida hunts for food. She discovers a jar of olives that came from a beloved aunt in her family’s village near Jerusalem. Ida eats one and finds herself there—as if her parents had never left Palestine! Things are different in this other reality—harder in many ways, but also strangely familiar and comforting. Now she has to make some tough choices. Which Ida would she rather be? How can she find her place?

Ida’s dilemma becomes more frightening as the day approaches when israeli bulldozers are coming to demolish another home in her family’s village…

About the author

Nora Lester Murad, originally from California, raised her three Palestinian-American daughters in Jerusalem. She now lives in New York. She was inspired to write this story by her father-in-law whose love for his olive trees echoes the deep connection between Palestinians and their land throughout the generations and across the continents. Danna Masad, originally from Zeita village, was born and raised in Ramallah, Palestine. She is an environmentalist, activist, and architect with a deep love for her land and people. Her inspiration for this story comes from witnessing the deep connection that developed over a lifetime between her grandmother and the olive trees she tended.