Escape from Iran

Sixteen-year-old Janice Parker flies to Iran to spend time with her archeologist father in the desert of Iran. When she arrives, she finds herself caught up in the throes of an impending revolution. After her father is injured, it is up to her to rescue him from prison and, with the help of her new friend, Amir, escape from Iran.

Silver Medal winner 2011, Royal Palm Literary Awards, Florida Writers Association

Quarter-finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards - Young Adult

Judge's comments: The novelty of a story about a young woman's adventures in the evolving Iran of 1978 is a breath of fresh air. The evocative writing makes the airport in Tehran visible; the apparent chaos and noise, disorienting to an uninitiated foreigner, bring another culture alive to the reader, as does the night drive through soldier-filled streets and the strangeness of the oasis in the desert.

I was so pleased to at last read a real, involving, exciting tale about a young person on the verge of a stupendous event. This beats any oh-dear-what-about-high-school-and-my-parents-are-creeps stories I've been reading. Janice is about to enter a world she couldn't imagine in her wildest dreams and become involved in a story so exciting that, if she survives it, will take her through life handily and make her able to surmount any obstacle.