Reviewed by Shrubaboti Bose, Reedsy.

The Scar is a children's book written by Eva Fogel. The story takes place in Africa and involves a little boy's secret. In the village, there is no running water or electricity. Everyone lives happily even without these luxuries. Abassi, however, is a sad child. The story reveals his journey and the cause of his sadness.

Abassi is a six-year-old little boy who lives in a village in Africa. Every day he watches the other children playing and having fun. He never joins in the games they play. Instead, he watches from the shade of a tree. Abassi doesn't have an easy life and the tree becomes his friend.

I feel this book would be best suited for older elementary children. Some of the words included would be harder for younger children to understand. It wouldn't be suited for older youth as the reading level would be under their skill level.

I enjoyed reading the The Scar. I thought the plot was unique. A tree that offers protection and friendship to a child is a different concept. I feel it also teaches children to respect nature. The descriptions in the story create a picture of what Abassi is feeling. The author does a good job making the reader feel Abassi's sadness. I also enjoyed how the pictures go with the story so well. The story might be upsetting to some children and could even be triggering for any that have faced abuse. The aspect of an angry man cursing and shouting for Abassi might bring back reminders to a child to has been yelled at. There were also times words were used that children may not be able to say or understand the meaning of them. Ubiquitous, raucous, and omnipotent are words not well-known to younger children. I feel the author could have used simpler terminology to get across what she was trying to say.

I rated this book 3 out of 4 stars. It appears to be professionally edited and contains no errors. I deducted a star for the use of complex words in a children's book. Other than that, I felt the book was well-written and I enjoyed it. I would recommend the book to others and would be interested in reading other books by this author.