Operation Oleander

Written by Valerie O. Patterson

A teen's charity effort leads to tragedy, raising questions of guilt and responsibility.

3.7 Goodreads · 166 ratings

192 pages· HL560L

$7.99Save 5%

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Bookroo's summary

Jess Westmark's charity for Afghan orphans turns tragic when a car bomb injures her father and kills others. As guilt consumes her, Jess must navigate the fallout and question her role in the chaos. Can she find redemption amidst the turmoil, or will her good intentions lead to further heartbreak? The stakes are high as Jess confronts the harsh realities of war and the consequences of her actions.

From the publisher

“Full of detail about Army life, Patterson’s elegant prose brings readers deep inside Jess’s conflicted point of view.” –Publishers Weekly Ninth grader Jess Westmark had the best of intentions when she started Operation Oleander to raise money for a girls’ orphanage in Kabul. She named her charity for the flower that grows both in her Florida hometown and in Afghanistan, where her father is deployed. But on one of her father’s trips to deliver supplies to the orphans, a car bomb explodes nearby and her father is gravely injured. Worse, her best friend’s mother and some of the children are killed. Is this all Jess’s fault?

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