Part 7
Josef's family lands in France, Isabel's family reaches the Miami sand, and Mahmoud leads a march out of Hungary.
Storming the bridgeCrossing the Atlantic the wrong way, the passengers know what waits. Josef, feeling like his family's last steady person, joins desperate men who storm the bridge and seize the wheel. Captain Schroeder, without force, talks them down and promises to land them in England even if he must run aground. At the last hour, real news: Belgium, Holland, France, and England will divide the passengers. Josef's family draws France — solid ground at last, as every adult whispers of coming war.
Rowing for MiamiIn 1994, Isabel's boat has no engine, almost no freeboard, and the lights of Miami actually in sight. A second tanker nearly runs the rowers down in the dark, its wake almost finishing what the sea began; they bail, they paddle, and Mami's labor pains begin with the shore so close Isabel can smell it.
Lito goes overA Coast Guard boat finds them, searchlights sweeping, and everyone who can lift a paddle pulls for the beach. Lito, who has been saying mañana his whole life, tells Isabel where he learned what that word can cost, says it one last time, and goes over the side, forcing the sailors to stop for an old man while the small boat runs for the sand. Feet touch dry sand — they can stay — and Mami's baby boy is born safe ashore.
March to AustriaIn 2015, Mahmoud's family is penned behind wire in a Hungarian camp until Mahmoud simply stands up and walks out. Hundreds follow him onto the highway toward Austria — and so do the cameras and news helicopters. Police threaten arrest, but no one dares touch a march the whole world is watching, and after some twelve hours on the pavement the walkers reach a border where Austrians wait with food, dry clothes, and cheers.
| Section | What you will practice |
|---|---|
| Vocabulary | Ships, seas, and the road north: mutiny, adrift, bail, detention, disembark… |
| Literary Elements | A climax braided across three storylines, a motif of being seen, and symbols that carry the weight — dry sand, cameras, and one word: mañana |
| Cross-Curricular | Asylum law — how the 1951 Refugee Convention defines a refugee, the rule against sending people back into danger, and how a claim is actually decided |
| Ch. | What happens |
|---|---|
| Chapter 43 | Josef — The Atlantic, 1939 — Turned away from two continents, the St. Louis steams back toward Europe. Desperate passengers seize the bridge, and Josef sees how close despair can come to violence. Captain Schroeder talks the men down and vows to do all he can to land them in England instead of Germany. |
| Chapter 44 | Isabel — The Straits of Florida, 1994 — Engine dead, the little boat drifts into the shipping lanes at night, and a second tanker bears down on it. The family paddles and bails through the monster’s wake as Mami’s labor begins, with the glow of Miami sitting on the horizon. |
| Chapter 45 | Mahmoud — Hungary, 2015 — Penned behind wire by guards who treat them like criminals, Mahmoud is done waiting to be processed. He stands up, walks out, and his family and hundreds of strangers follow him onto the highway toward Austria — visible at last, with cameras following. |
| Chapter 46 | Josef — Solid Ground, 1939 — Word finally comes: Belgium, Holland, France, and England will divide the passengers among them. Josef’s family draws France. They are off the ship at last and safe for now — unless the war everyone whispers about crosses the border after them. |
| Chapter 47 | Isabel — Off Miami Beach, 1994 — A Coast Guard boat pins the sinking little boat in its searchlights. As the family paddles for the sand, Lito tells Isabel a truth about Havana harbor long ago, says mañana one last time, and leaps into the sea so the sailors must stop for him. The boat reaches the beach. |
| Chapter 48 | Mahmoud — Hungary to Austria, 2015 — The marchers walk some twelve hours while their story runs on screens around the world; police threaten arrest but never dare act in front of the cameras. At the Austrian border a cheering crowd waits with food, dry clothes, and open doors. |
ⓘ The vocabulary words in this list are selected to help you understand and complete this workbook. Some may not appear verbatim in the original novel.
- A tanker’s wake nearly swamps the drifting little boat.
- Mahmoud leads his family out onto the highway toward Austria.
- Lito leaps into the sea so the others can reach the sand.
- Four countries agree to divide the St. Louis passengers.
- Desperate passengers seize the bridge of the St. Louis.
Three journeys, six chapters, and every clock striking at once. On the Atlantic, a luxury liner full of refugees is steaming the wrong way — back toward Europe — and some of its passengers have decided they would rather seize the bridge by force than let the ship arrive. In the Straits of Florida, a little blue boat has no engine left, water sloshing over its floorboards, a tanker’s bow rising out of the dark, and a baby who has decided that tonight is the night. And on a highway in Hungary, a boy who has spent his whole escape learning how to be invisible stands up in front of soldiers, strangers, and television cameras — and starts walking toward Austria. Part 7 is the novel’s longest-held breath. Everything each family has paid — homes, savings, a sister handed across the water, a friend lost to the sea — comes down to a few yards of salt water, a stretch of hot pavement, and one question nobody says out loud: who is watching, and will they let us in?
The word refugee promises refuge — shelter in a safe country — but in law it is a test. After the Second World War stranded millions abroad, the world's nations signed the 1951 Refugee Convention, the treaty that still defines the word. To count as a refugee, a person must be outside their own country and hold a well-founded fear of persecution — cruel treatment aimed at people because of who they are — for one of five reasons: race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a targeted group. Pass the test and powerful protections apply; fail, and doors may legally close.
No official can see fear, so a claim must be decided with words and paper. A person asking for asylum sits for an interview with a government officer and explains why home is dangerous. The officer weighs whatever testimony and evidence exists — identity papers, news reports, medical records, sometimes scars — and asks whether the account holds together and matches known facts. Many arrive with almost nothing, because people fleeing rarely stop to gather documents. A refused claimant can usually appeal, but the wait, often spent in a camp or detention center, can stretch for years.
One promise in the treaty stands above the rest. Called non-refoulement — French for not pushing someone back — it forbids returning a person to a country where life or freedom would be threatened, and it binds every nation that signed. So the label matters: a migrant, who moves by choice and can safely go home, may be turned away, while a recognized refugee may not — a verdict that leaves families jubilant after years of waiting. The wall that decides between the two is built entirely of paper.
This writing task is optional and is not part of your auto-graded score. The feedback below checks only the basics — length, spelling, and grammar — not whether your ideas are right or wrong. It is meant for classroom discussion and creative practice, so feel free to use your imagination!
Writing Task — Part 7 “Walking Into the Cameras”
For most of his journey Mahmoud survives by staying invisible; in Part 7 he chooses the opposite and leads his family straight into the world’s cameras. Write about a time you had to choose between keeping your head down and being seen — speaking up, standing out, or going first. Describe what you were afraid of, what you chose, and what happened next. 6–10 sentences. End by saying whether Mahmoud’s rule — that being seen can protect you — matched your own experience.
No right or wrong — tell someone nearby what happened in this part. Can’t find anyone? Tell yourself out loud. The moment you teach it, you truly understand it.
Part 7 Complete!
You finished Chapters 43–48 of Refugee.
Here are your auto-graded results:
Independent study guide by Garden Heights. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Alan Gratz. Contains original analysis only; no text from the novel is reproduced. Reference text: This workbook follows Alan Gratz’s classic text (the standard Puffin edition sold worldwide). Revised 2023 UK editions change some wording and may not match the vocabulary studied here.