A review by betwixt_the_pages
The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon

5.0

Subhi is a refugee. Born in an Australian permanent detention center after his mother and sister fled the violence of a distant homeland, Subhi has only ever known life behind the fences. But his world is far bigger than that—every night, the magical Night Sea from his mother's stories brings him gifts, the faraway whales sing to him, and the birds tell their stories. And as he grows, his imagination threatens to burst beyond the limits of his containment.

The most vivid story of all, however, is the one that arrives one night in the form of Jimmie—a scruffy, impatient girl who appears on the other side of the wire fence and brings with her a notebook written by the mother she lost. Unable to read it herself, she relies on Subhi to unravel her family's love songs and tragedies.

Subhi and Jimmie might both find comfort—and maybe even freedom—as their tales unfold. But not until each has been braver than ever before.

Rating: 5/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: GOODNESS, this book is so important; diverse characters/settings; this is a mid-grade novel with HUGE bite; super important moral/societal statements are made throughout this read; I just... I can't find the right words; this is a MUST read; gorgeous, poetic, lyrical prose

Huge thanks to Zana Fraillon, Disney-Hyperion Publishing, and Netgalley for granting me free access to this title in exchange for an honest review! This in no way altered my read of or opinions on this book.

I want to start this review off... with the dedication, because it's gorgeous, and says so much in so little about what readers will find between these pages (or, at least, a small part of what they'll find):

To those who refuse to be blinded by the glare, or deafened by the hush, who are brave enough to question, and curious enough to explore. To those who will not forget.

You will make a difference. And to the rest of us, so that we may learn how.

Penguins... If you haven't picked up a Disney-Hyperion book in the last year, you need to drop whatever you're doing and GO DO IT. Right now. Go on. I'll wait right here. Seriously, I have read a good number of books from them this year so far, and every. single. one. has pushed me, challenged me, and shown me the world from unexpected and diverse perspectives. Disney-Hyperion strives not just to bring a beautiful story to readers...but to shove readers off the cliff of comfort and make them see the world differently.

This book is no different in this regard, though it might be my favorite one so far this year. This is a middle grade read with a HUGE amount of bite, guys--this book sucks you in with the lyrical, gorgeous prose...and holds you hostage throughout. Subhi immediately endeared himself to me--his voice is unique, often hilarious, and (for a large portion of this read, at least) filled with that which so many of us go seeking in our later years: hope. This book takes a challenging, important societal flaw and puts it under a microscope--and forces readers to step outside their comfort zone in the process.

Then that girl hocks up the biggest ball of snot I've ever seen--and I've seen some pretty big balls of snot being hocked around here--and she spits that snot right on to the ground. That's when I know. Guardian angels don't hock up snot.

Zana Fraillon broke me into a thousand tiny penguin pieces with this book, guys--and I am honestly just SO awed and glad to have been given the chance to experience this. The characters and setting are diverse and hard-hitting; the plot, while filled with the naive humor of children and told from a young perspective, takes on a dark and hopeless tone throughout. But above all else, this book makes you ask WHY.

There is a lot of abstract imagery and oral-narrative feel to the prose, so I suppose this isn't the book for everyone. Personally, I adore stories that are poetic and haunting and abstract--they allow me to see the world in my own way, while still seeing it from another's eyes. And when handed a topic as important--as heart breaking--as this one, sometimes the more abstract the better. This doesn't mean the book shies away from the hard truths, or sugarcoats--it doesn't. Not once. These characters are handed some terrible situations; they fight for their lives, for their memories, and for their rights to be seen, to be heard, to EXIST.

But then something happened, and that happiness whispered up into the air like water on a hot day. Queeny says that's when they understood that no one could see them anymore, that this here is just one big cage of invisible people who no one believes are even real.

Just... trust me, penguins. Disney-Hyperion is doing beautiful things with their books lately, and I'm loving every single journey. If you'll let them, books like this will open your eyes...and put a fire in your soul. If you'll let them, books like this will change you for the better. I recommend this to lovers of lyrical prose, hard-hitting middle grade novels, and beautifully diverse reads with important things to say. I cannot wait to see what Disney-Hyperion--and Zana Fraillon!--do next. For now, I'm off to sweep my pieces off the floor and attempt to put myself back together.