'WHEN MICHAEL MET MINA' - Randa Abdel-Fattah

I was sent this book by Pan Macmillan in exchange for an honest review. I finished it in a couple days and I loved how it talked about some serious issues that are occurring in Australia right now but are not talked about enough, especially in YA literature. Here is what I thought;

"When Michael meets Mina, they are at a rally for refugees - standing on opposite sides.
Mina fled Afghanistan with her mother via a refugee camp, a leaky boat and a detention centre.
Michael's parents have founded a new political party called Aussie Values.
They want to stop the boats. 
Mina wants to stop the hate.
When Mina wins a scholarship to Michael's private school, their lives crash together blindingly.
A novel for anyone who wants to fight for love, and against injustice." - Goodreads

CHARACTERS: Both Michael and Mina are such amazing characters and I loved how they differed in many aspects.
Michael is against refugees seeking Asylum in the country, and this has a lot to do with his parents views. This really did show how children look up to their parents and model their behaviour and values. Michael started off in the book as very closed minded and almost arrogant. But as the story went on, he opened himself up to new experiences and people, and became a very enjoyable character to read about.
Mina is such a lovely soul and her and her family had been through so much in their life, and this only continued throughout the book also. She is such a sweetheart, but she is also strong and can stand up for herself, and I loved reading about her. Michael and Mina's relationship was beautiful, and illustrated how when everyone puts their differences and negative views of the world behind them, we can all come together as one.

STORY LINE / PLOT: The story idea and concept of this book would have to be my favourite part. As I mentioned earlier in this review, it talked about the serious issue of Asylum Seekers in Australia which is constantly being mentioned in the news and media over the last few months. I've never read about it in a book before, and I loved how Abdel-Fattah was able to express it in a YA book. I think educating the younger generations on this topic will help to open their mind and see the problems that are going on in the world.
I also loved how the readers are able to see both characters perspectives. We were able to hear Michael's thoughts on how he is against Asylum Seekers, and Mina who is one herself and how she came to the country. It is such an emotional book and I loved learning more about Asylum Seekers and Mina's story.

ENDING: The ending wrapped up nicely and I was satisfied with how it concluded. When Michael Met Mina is a nice quick and light read which made it enjoyable. The ending made me smile and I really loved reading it as a whole.

RATING: I'm giving this book 4.5 stars out of 5 and highly recommend this to any reader; especially Australian teenagers and older generations also as I think everyone should educate themselves on these issues.