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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
Very anti-climatic, felt no connection to the characters - definitely a child's book would probably recommend to an eleven year old boy. Just not my story wasn't too bothered about the ending, if anything, I would have liked to have known more about what was happening with the mum and what actually caused these things to happen because it just seemed that people couldn't afford food?! But just 1 star this time.
5/5 stars - I really recommend reading this book! It's an easy but also emotional and eye opening read.
I feel like everyone hears about the refugee crisis on the news but at least I could not imagine what it is like to lose everything you have, to flee to another country and somehow fight to survive in hope for a better future. Therefore, the book explored this journey through the eyes of Matt and his family. Choosing Western Europe as a setting makes it even more eye opening. Everyone could be in this situation...
I feel like everyone hears about the refugee crisis on the news but at least I could not imagine what it is like to lose everything you have, to flee to another country and somehow fight to survive in hope for a better future. Therefore, the book explored this journey through the eyes of Matt and his family. Choosing Western Europe as a setting makes it even more eye opening. Everyone could be in this situation...
This was a pretty good book. Although I would've liked to have some more focus on the other side characters it was a pretty nice read. I honestly don't have too much to say about this book but it gave a new perspective on being a refugee and could possibly help people relate a bit more and get involved.
Good, interesting story. a simple book, but quite effective. Even taught me a bit of French! Likeable characters, each with their own habits and things that give you the impression of who they are. I liked it!
This was an amazing book and I'm so happy I didn't put it back down when I got it from the library.
The book doesn't disappoint, it delivers a headline (newspaper like) story. The book carries on at a steady pace not spending to long or little at each twist and turn of the story.One of the things I liked was the ending, some books don't pull of a good ending and this book had a very good one!
SPOILER
*************
I Knew bob was a dodgy man since the start! And I just knew paige wasn't his daughter! The author really cleverly, I think, hid these hints throughout the book.
The book doesn't disappoint, it delivers a headline (newspaper like) story. The book carries on at a steady pace not spending to long or little at each twist and turn of the story.One of the things I liked was the ending, some books don't pull of a good ending and this book had a very good one!
SPOILER
*************
I Knew bob was a dodgy man since the start! And I just knew paige wasn't his daughter! The author really cleverly, I think, hid these hints throughout the book.
Although this little book is a bit cliche it has moments of brilliance. It's dark, it's frightening, and very very plausible.
I'm really impressed with what Gillian Cross achieved in this book and I think it should be mandatory reading for all school kids. Cleverly flipping the refugee story that we see playing out in news reports all too often these days on its head, she poses the question: What if we were the ones who had to flee our home country?
It's all too easy to see real life refugees as 'other', and their lives as something so unlike our own that we could never fully sympathise with their plight, but by focussing on a British family coming from a culture and way of life just like our own, it becomes so much more relatable, helping young people feel more connected, empathetic and engaged the next time they see refugees on the news.
I think she pitched the level of the writing perfectly, taking on the best elements of both middle grade and YA-level reading whilst avoiding the tropes of both. It didn't shy away from the serious nature of the themes being explored and yet was made approachable for young readers without ever being condescending.
The plot always felt relatable to things that are really happening in other countries right now and yet plausible as something that could very well happen here one day. By being speculative rather than post-apocalyptic, and very realistic in the way in which the collapse of society came about (a huge economic crash was followed by mass food shortages, leading to raids, theft, rioting, etc. and a vilification of anyone deemed to be 'hoarding', thus leading to people being alienated from communities), it never felt overdone or melodramatic, but frighteningly realistic as people became more desperate to make ends meet.
It touches on many of the aspects of the refugee experience, including displacement, language barriers, borders being closed, families being separated and so on. I also really liked the subtle sub-plot throughout that explored the mistrust often felt on the sides of both the locals towards refugees and vice versa, with our protagonist reluctant at first to embrace anything French through fear of losing his English identity and thus admitting that he may never return home.
In terms of plot, I also really appreciated that there was a teenage male/female friendship at the core that remained entirely platonic throughout the whole thing, which was such a breath of fresh air. In fact, there wasn't an ounce of angst in sight.
The ending had enough hope to satisfy, but I liked that it remained somewhat open, reflecting the uncertain futures that lie ahead for so many real-life refugees.
In short, I think this is a wonderfully realised, timely and important read that I urge everyone to pick up.
It's all too easy to see real life refugees as 'other', and their lives as something so unlike our own that we could never fully sympathise with their plight, but by focussing on a British family coming from a culture and way of life just like our own, it becomes so much more relatable, helping young people feel more connected, empathetic and engaged the next time they see refugees on the news.
I think she pitched the level of the writing perfectly, taking on the best elements of both middle grade and YA-level reading whilst avoiding the tropes of both. It didn't shy away from the serious nature of the themes being explored and yet was made approachable for young readers without ever being condescending.
The plot always felt relatable to things that are really happening in other countries right now and yet plausible as something that could very well happen here one day. By being speculative rather than post-apocalyptic, and very realistic in the way in which the collapse of society came about (a huge economic crash was followed by mass food shortages, leading to raids, theft, rioting, etc. and a vilification of anyone deemed to be 'hoarding', thus leading to people being alienated from communities), it never felt overdone or melodramatic, but frighteningly realistic as people became more desperate to make ends meet.
It touches on many of the aspects of the refugee experience, including displacement, language barriers, borders being closed, families being separated and so on. I also really liked the subtle sub-plot throughout that explored the mistrust often felt on the sides of both the locals towards refugees and vice versa, with our protagonist reluctant at first to embrace anything French through fear of losing his English identity and thus admitting that he may never return home.
In terms of plot, I also really appreciated that there was a teenage male/female friendship at the core that remained entirely platonic throughout the whole thing, which was such a breath of fresh air. In fact, there wasn't an ounce of angst in sight.
The ending had enough hope to satisfy, but I liked that it remained somewhat open, reflecting the uncertain futures that lie ahead for so many real-life refugees.
In short, I think this is a wonderfully realised, timely and important read that I urge everyone to pick up.
This book is an easy read and has a good story to it. The characters are very well written and adds to the story a lot. It is an interesting premise and this story is for younger readers and I would love to read a book similar but for an older audience.
Good, interesting story. a simple book, but quite effective. Even taught me a bit of French! Likeable characters, each with their own habits and things that give you the impression of who they are. I liked it!