The Teacher of Nomad LandA World War II Story
Review posted December 17, 2025.
Listening Library, 2025. 3 hours, 23 minutes.
Review written December 12, 2025, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review
2025 National Book Award for Young People's Literature Winner
Ahhhh. The Teacher of Nomad Land is my favorite Daniel Nayeri book so far. And he's already won the Printz Award and Newbery Honor. Traditionally, it usually turns out that the winner of the National Book Award for Young People's Literature does not win the Newbery Medal. Will this year break the pattern?
But about the book. As the subtitle indicates, this is a World War II story, and it's set in Iran. Iran wasn't the main stage in World War II and was officially neutral - but that made it a place where people from all over the world could meet one another - with lots of room for misunderstandings.
Our story begins in Isfahan when Babak's father has recently been killed by the Russian army. His father had been visiting the nomads in their summer home, teaching their children, and the army fired at them, thinking they were insurgents. Babak promises his little sister Sanna that even though they are orphans, he won't let them be split up, but their relatives don't give them any choice.
So Babak works as an errand boy for a year, trying to save money to take Sanna away with him so they can be together. They will ask the nomads to take them in before they leave for their winter home.
After a year of saving, the money doesn't work out, but Babak and Sanna set out anyway. Babak brings along his father's blackboard, rigged with leather straps to carry on his back. He offers to teach the nomads' children and tries to be as good a teacher as his father was, but his first attempt isn't enough for the chief of the nomads.
But then the adventure really begins. As Babak and Sanna try to find their way back to Isfahan, staying together no matter what, they encounter a ruthless Nazi spy who takes all their food. Later, they meet the Jewish refugee boy from Poland that the German is looking for. Together, they try to make their way to somewhere safe, but there's lots of misunderstanding along the way, not to mention the need for food and water.
The most brilliant scene of all is when Babak figures out how to facilitate communication between the nomads, British soldiers, and Russian soldiers - using I think it was five different languages.
Along the way, Babak learns to emulate his father and think like a teacher, gleaning plenty of wisdom as he does so.
I also love that the book isn't overindulgent in its length, despite the heavy topic of war time - under four hours in an audiobook! - just right for a children's book. Yes, it's about war time, so there are dangerous and scary situations, but the kids at the center of it come through brilliantly.