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A review by erindb
No Safe Place by Deborah Ellis
4.0
No Safe Place is an important book. Ellis offers a glimpse into a world that we as a society are otherwise oblivious to. This book places a name and a face to the countless middle-eastern children whose lives the war destroyed, these people who are all but hopeless.
Enter Abdul, a fifteen year old with just a dream and a gold medallion. His story, as are those of the other children he befriends on his way to England, is riveting and horrifyingly real. Ellis' depiction of life in Calais provides a brutally true-to-life description of the difficulties illegal migrants struggle with today. I appreciated how shockingly honest the first part of the book was, but I was a bit disappointed with the ending. I questioned the likelihood that three teenagers and a small child could so easily outsmart two grown men, thus stealing and eventually sinking their yacht, but I let it go.
This isn't what spoiled the book for me, though. To be completely honest, the ending sucked. It was like a magical fairy-tale ending, very uncharacteristic of the rest of Ellis' work. Although the ending was disappointing, I still enjoyed the book a lot. It's a great read, and I believe that this book is very important and eye-opening. No Safe Place is vital in today's world, and it calls attention to the people who need it most.
Enter Abdul, a fifteen year old with just a dream and a gold medallion. His story, as are those of the other children he befriends on his way to England, is riveting and horrifyingly real. Ellis' depiction of life in Calais provides a brutally true-to-life description of the difficulties illegal migrants struggle with today. I appreciated how shockingly honest the first part of the book was, but I was a bit disappointed with the ending. I questioned the likelihood that three teenagers and a small child could so easily outsmart two grown men, thus stealing and eventually sinking their yacht, but I let it go.
This isn't what spoiled the book for me, though. To be completely honest, the ending sucked. It was like a magical fairy-tale ending, very uncharacteristic of the rest of Ellis' work. Although the ending was disappointing, I still enjoyed the book a lot. It's a great read, and I believe that this book is very important and eye-opening. No Safe Place is vital in today's world, and it calls attention to the people who need it most.