When was refugee boy published

The playful, obstinate and courageously humorous tone of Zephaniah's writing shines through Humour and innocence are both to the fore as is a sweetness of tone Guardian on FACE. A lively and positive account of a boy who is badly scarred in a joyriding crash, and how he comes to terms with it An impressive debut, carefully researched Zephaniah writes wonderfully natural dialogue with the same ease as he spins out rhyming couplets.

Herald on FACE. Your School account is not valid for the United Kingdom site. You have been logged out of your account. Rutger Bregman. Susanna Clarke. Reni Eddo-Lodge. Khaled Hosseini. Sarah J.

Abdulrazak Gurnah. Kiley Reid. Sign in Create an account. Sub-total excluding delivery. Shop in. Books Authors Discover Connect. Early Years Primary Secondary. Featured authors View all authors. About Us Overview.

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His autobiography, The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah , was nominated for two major awards and he is constantly touring with his band. Benjamin lives in Lincolnshire. Since asylum can be a confusing issue for children and even adults , here are some books that explore what it really means to flee your home and have to start your life over.

Your star rating is required. Refugee boy is pretty good book. I'm so happy to read it. I really liked this book. It was very moving in many ways. I liked the plot and how the characters moved around in it. I liked the love that the characters had for Alem's. It was sad but VERY well written. First published in Italian last year, the story of Enaiatollah Akbari's journey from Afghanistan to Italy has now been translated into English.

The Other Side of Truth. But now Mama is dead, their passports are seized and Papa must try to get the children to safety — illegally. A story of terror, loss, love and humanity. This novel wholly deserves its classic status. Read more about The Other Side of Truth. I had very little emotional reaction, even when brutal events were being described.

So while there were some interesting examinations of Alem coming to terms with English society and dealing with the legalities of applying for asylum, it mostly felt View all 4 comments. Jan 17, Helen rated it did not like it Shelves: young-adult-reads. I read this book for work purposes as I work in literacy with teenagers. I have heard such good things about this book so it has surprised me that of all the YA books I have read over the last year this was my least favourite. I found the writing style weak and as though it was written for children much younger than its intended audience.

I also found it difficult to really engage with the characters, mostly due to the way it was written. In my opinion it would be a book for very weak readers an I read this book for work purposes as I work in literacy with teenagers. In my opinion it would be a book for very weak readers and is hard to appreciate as an adult reading a YA book.

View 1 comment. Absolutely incredible story - I was stunned to find out at the end that it was fictional! I honestly thought this was a true story. I read an 'uncorrected proof' because that just happened to be the copy I found in a secondhand bookstore. So I don't know if things were changed or what, but I LOVED the start - how in the first chapter they are in Ethiopia, and Alem's father is being called a traitor because his wife is Eritrean It's a really strong start that paints so vividly the conflict between the two places.

And I am gonna admit now that before this book I knew jack-all about that! After that, Alem and his father go on a "holiday" to England The fact that he only spent one night in the detention centre before finding a foster home seemed a tad farfetched, but apart from that So sad too : But oh, Alem was a wonderful character to read about!

I really loved him Aug 21, Amber amberinbookland rated it really liked it Shelves: grief , middlegrade. A refugee. Some people believe that I gave up my homeland and lost my parents in order to become a refugee; some people actually believe that I gave up thirteen months of sunshine to live in the cold and to be called a scrounger. I didn't. Yes, I think that the ending was too abrupt although, that is how tragedy tends to attack, abruptly and without warning and I do think that Alem's father needed more development, but this book was extremely powerful.

I know a lot of older readers will be put off by the simplistic writing but I think that is important, so that younger readers can focus on the message of the story without distraction, and I myself found that this simplicity added to the poignancy. I have now read 4 of Benjamin Zephaniah's young adult books and if I was to rank them it would probably look like: 1. Teacher's Dead 2. Refugee Boy 3. Face 4. Terror Kid Aug 01, Zoe Hall rated it liked it Shelves: 3-stars , read-the-year-penguinchallen.

I read this book in one day. I read this book as part of the Penguin Read the Year challenge. This was an easy book to follow, in terms of its narrative- the central character is Alem, a young boy. It very much feels like the narrative is very childlike in its nature. However, this is not to say this is a childish book.

It deals with very real issues, especially those faced by young refugees in the UK. A fantastic read.

Feb 25, jennie rated it liked it Shelves: 3-stars. Apr 04, Mada Basyouni rated it really liked it. The author, Benjamin Zephaniah, is one of my favorite authors, and I have to admit, he did an excellent job writing this book and bringing such a compelling story to the readers I'm not being biased, just saying what I think of the writing itself.

This story provided insight into subjects that are mostly dismissed as "unimportant" by those who have "refugee boy" is more than just a straightforward tale about asylum seekers; it shows the importance of storytelling, imagination, and friendship.

This story provided insight into subjects that are mostly dismissed as "unimportant" by those who have never investigated the topics fully or even been through them.

I strongly advise anyone interested in rights, dignity and most notably, the desire to remain strong in the face of adversity, to read this book. Aug 05, Fern Adams rated it really liked it. This is a wonderful and heartbreaking book that explores the experience of becoming a child refugee.

Written very well, I felt behind each character, and the story came across as very real. A really good book for teenagers to start to explore ideas of displacement, conflict and refugees. Nov 27, Tess rated it it was ok Recommended to Tess by: Year 9 student studying it in class. I wasn't impressed with this book at all. The characters were all too good to be true. The school boy activists came across as too polished in their ability to organise events, speak to large crowds etc - this is totally at odds with my own experience of what young people of this age are capable of or have the confidence to achieve.

I was always aware of the author in the background because the characters and plot weren't believable. His viewpoint came through in the speech of some of the charac I wasn't impressed with this book at all. His viewpoint came through in the speech of some of the characters.

He seemed to present a very simplistic view of life - love, not war. Life is never that straightforward, is always much more complex. A pivotal event near the end of the novel was left hanging without explanation. The author seemed to lack the vocabulary to describe settings - how many times was the reader told that something "was a bit rough"?

A headmaster referred to the young people in his school as "kids" - very unlikely. I found the story to be moving, but the writing was not very strong.

It helped that I work with people from East Africa - I was interested to read about some of the recent history and to consider what refugees go through in seeking asylum. Unfortunately, the characters were one-dimensional and the style was clumsy. The book may be worth reading, but I didn't love it. I think the subject matter is a very important one and I overall liked how it was addressed, I just felt that the story was lacking on the emotional side, or rather, the writing didn't really provoke many emotions in me, which is a bit of a shame.

May 30, Julie Reynolds rated it it was amazing. This book was recommended to me. It is in many ways a tragic story. I choose to believe that the main character built a good life here in the UK with the help of his foster family and friends.

I didn't realise it was a children's book. I found the subject matter interesting, but it didn't really touch me, I wasn't all that invested. Also I found Alem to be a little too perfect and his father sometimes a bit frightening.

But I'm aware that those feelings might be, because of my prejudices. Dec 29, Alicia Fenney rated it it was ok. The story is propelled quickly to Great Britain, where Alem becomes a ward of the state, leaving his parents to work towards political peace in their home countries.

Over the next months, Alem experiences a group home, foster parents, and public American: private education, thrives as a student and is beloved by all, minus some random thugs.

For its educational merit I would rate this book a three or four. It is a clear endorsement of the Refugee Council, a real life organization in GB.

It also raises awareness of a specific type of refugee conflict that most logical people would find hard to argue with although GB still manages to. It offers a neutral-negative look at the culture around anti-refugee people in GB and the political system in dealing with refugees, but also gives some hope for those who are vocal the community around refugees not the refugees themselves.

It touches on the issue of stigma around people on food stamps and the living condition of orphans. For its emotional appeal, I rank this book at a one or two. The book might have had more emotional punch if it were written in first person. It's an omniscient narrator but the perspective sometimes shifts to only Alem's point of view. In one jarring scene, it shifts completely away from him in an attempt to increase suspense. For a book in which not much happens, many words are spent.

I struggled through it because not much happens and yet the chapters were long and sometimes repetitive. I often asked myself why the author thought we needed certain information; it almost read like the journal of a teenager, with its unnecessary plot points, that an adult would hopefully take out of a formal text. So, maybe students enjoy the book more, and that is why it's taught at my current school and was used at a conference around the topic of refugees as it says in the epilogue.

Jul 08, Bookguide rated it really liked it Shelves: expat-immigrant-refugee , ethiopia , released , uk , black-author-or-major-character. This book is a quick and easy read, and I enjoyed it very much.

However, the subject matter is not easy, and many important issues are raised, including war, persecution, treatment of refugees, and at a more personal level, subjects such as bullying and teenage dissatisfication with life are also touched on. The book itself is the simply-told story of Alem's life after he arrives in England and his experiences in a children's home, with a wonderful foster family, at school, and with the governme This book is a quick and easy read, and I enjoyed it very much.

The book itself is the simply-told story of Alem's life after he arrives in England and his experiences in a children's home, with a wonderful foster family, at school, and with the government and independent agencies which deal with refugees.

But it provides much food for thought, and would be a great book to read with a class of teenagers, with plenty of issues to provoke discussion. Even though many terrible things happen, Alem himself is a fantastic role model as he he remains courageous and hard-working throughout, and it also has a very positive view of teenagers and the positive force for action and change which they can be.