The Bone Sparrow
A Refugee Novel
-
-
4.8 • 9 Ratings
-
-
- £2.99
Publisher Description
Shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize.
Perfect for fans of THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS. This is a beautiful, vivid and deeply moving story about a refugee boy who has spent his entire life living in a detention centre. This novel reminds us all of the importance of freedom, hope, and the power of a story to speak for anyone who's ever struggled to find a safe home.
'...a special book' - Morris Gleitzman, author of the acclaimed ONCE series
Born in a refugee camp, all Subhi knows of the world is that he's at least 19 fence diamonds high, the nice Jackets never stay long, and at night he dreams that the sea finds its way to his tent, bringing with it unusual treasures. And one day it brings him Jimmie.
Carrying a notebook that she's unable to read and wearing a sparrow made out of bone around her neck - both talismans of her family's past and the mother she's lost - Jimmie strikes up an unlikely friendship with Subhi beyond the fence.
As he reads aloud the tale of how Jimmie's family came to be, both children discover the importance of their own stories in writing their futures.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Subhi hangs on his mother's stories of her life in Burma as a Rohingya, a persecuted ethnic Muslim minority. Subhi's Ma (mother) and his older sister were among the Rohingya exiled from their homeland and relegated to a detention center in Australia, where he was born. The 10-year-old's imagination helps him survive in a refugee camp ruled by abusive guards as he watches Ma sink into catatonia and waits in vain for the arrival of his father, an outspoken poet. Australian author Fraillon crafts a harrowing vision of life in the detention center (shoes are rarities, rats and mold are rampant, children race lice for fun), yet Subhi finds solace in sensitively portrayed friendships with a rebellious older boy, a compassionate guard, and an intrepid girl named Jimmie who sneaks into the camp to hear Subhi read stories her late mother recorded in a notebook; though most of the story is told from Subhi's first-person perspective, several third-person chapters focus on Jimmie's life outside the camp. While addressing themes of loss, desperation, and injustice in an all-too-relevant setting, Fraillon's resonant novel underscores the healing power of story. Ages 9 12.
Customer Reviews
Strikingly beautiful
A strikingly beautifully written book, so touching, sad and at some points oddly funny. I couldn't put it down! It conveyed such an important issue in such detail and beauty from the perspective of a young boy. I can't recommend it enough - a seriously eye opening novel. Zana Fraillon is a wonder!