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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
A very enjoyable middle-grade work told in verse. This follows Sudanese refugee Kek and his introduction and adjustment to life in the US. I think this would make a wonderful companion to Linda Sue Park’s A Long Walk to Water
This book offers readers a chance to intimately experience what it might be like for a Sudanese refugee boy to lose everything and come to the U.S. Beautiful book.
Powerful, engaging story-in-free-verse of a young African immigrant's experience coming to the United States.
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent
I love Kek, with his love of cows and his ability to find the sun through clouds. Powerful story, wonderful language.
Kek, a young teen refugee from Sudan, is overjoyed to be reunited with his aunt and cousin in Minnesota. The world is alien, though; cold and white, and he misses his brother, mother, and father. He witnesses the deaths of his brother and father, but clings to the hope that his mother may have survived. He is lonely and confused, but gradually begins to adapt to his new world, finding solace in family, new friends, and a job caring for an elderly cow.
I was only aware of Katherine Applegate through her work on the voluminous Animorphs series, so I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The story is told entirely in free verse, which allows Applegate to evoke feelings and impressions in a way that might seem contrived in more straightforward prose. By the end of the book, the reader really feels that they have lived inside Kek's head for a time, and felt what he feels. The ending of the book struck me as a slightly contrived happy ending, but I was unwilling to begrudge Kek his happiness, and others will likely feel the same way.
I was only aware of Katherine Applegate through her work on the voluminous Animorphs series, so I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The story is told entirely in free verse, which allows Applegate to evoke feelings and impressions in a way that might seem contrived in more straightforward prose. By the end of the book, the reader really feels that they have lived inside Kek's head for a time, and felt what he feels. The ending of the book struck me as a slightly contrived happy ending, but I was unwilling to begrudge Kek his happiness, and others will likely feel the same way.
Read this with my students for a novel study this fall. I usually love Applegate's books, and her prose-poetry style in some of her works is very compelling and very interesting to read and discuss with younger readers. But this one feels unintentionally insensitive in its attempt to universalize the "refugee experience". It also romanticizes the United States as a utopian haven for immigrants, and paints Africa as a lawless place of danger and violence. This book tries to confront complex socio-political issues from a child's perspective, but it ends up horribly simplifying them instead.
I listened to this on audio, and I was crying as I was driving. It's really good. I gave it to Andy to read after. Tt's nominated for a Maine Student Book award, and while I wish it would win, I think that Diary of a Wimpy Kid is going to end up the champion. I'm not sure I will ever look at cows the same way again.
Beautiful. Written like poetry. Hard to put down. Katherine Applegate weaves a brilliantly eloquent and powerful story of a refugee from Africa. Can’t wait to read with my fifth graders. So many good talking points and deep discussion opportunities. Highly recommend.