Books about refugees

The cover of a children's novel: Home of the Brave

REVIEWED BY SKYE, 11, CALIFORNIA, USA

Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate, St Martin’s Press, ISBN 9780312535636

Skye reviewed her own copy of this book.

Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate is a heartfelt story about finding a true home away from home. An 11-year-old refugee named Kek migrates from Africa to America to live with his only living family members, his aunt and cousin. As curious as he is, English is not his native tongue and he finds that life in America happens to be a great deal different.

What makes this book so special is the poetry of the language and the way Kek observes the world in this new environment. One of my favourite quotes is the first line of the book: ‘When the flying boat returns to earth at last, I open my eyes and gaze out the round window. What is all the white? I whisper. Where is all the world?’ This was the moment I realized Kek had never been on an airplane before. He says ‘flying boat’ to describe an airplane, using the only English words he knows.

Adventuring through this new world, Kek meets friends who bring him strength, including a girl in foster care who might actually understand what he’s been through. Kek in return brings his own meaning of life to America. He finds a weary old cow in need of love; the owner does not have the money to give the cow the life it deserves. In Kek’s culture cows are the meaning of life, also known as ‘God with a wet nose.’ Kek knows there is beauty in this cow and makes it his mission to love the cow like his native people would have treated them.

This book makes you feel happy and teaches the life lesson of being grateful. Kek’s innocent mistakes continue to make me smile. The story symbolises hearts being mended not only for Kek but also the people around him. My rating would definitely be a 10 out of 10.

This is Skye’s first book review for Alphabet Soup. To send us YOUR book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

The White Ship by Jackie French, Harper Collins Australia, ISBN 9780207197987 The White Ship (cover)

REVIEWED BY MILLIE, 11, WA

The all time favourite writer is back again with another wonderful story. The White Ship, by Jackie French, focuses on a story about a religion, friendship, and fairness, but more than anything, freedom. This book reflects on how we should behave today. The book faces us with real life challenges that we should handle the right way. Once you start reading this book, it will become impossible to put the book down.

The story-line of this novel is the desperation of a search for a place to call home. Michel lives off the coast of France. Rachel lives on an island too, off the coast of Australia. Forced to flee, with the the threat of murder, Michel and the other children of the Island escape on the White Ship, in search for a place to call home. As they sail, Michel realises something. the gentle blue-green waves of the sea are not what they’re sailing on. The White Ship is sailing on time itself. Through countless dreams, Rachel and Michel uncover a special bond, friendship. Over time, the bond becomes stronger; so strong that it could convince the White Ship to come ashore, and live in Australia. After all, Australia is a free country, right?

As you can guess, Michel and the other children and crew of the White Ship are refugees. But they are not the only refugees seeking a home in Australia. In fact, a couple of thousand refugees come into Australia every year! With numbers like these, the Australian government sends the refugees to detention camps, where they are kept, until they’re dealt with. After a long and tough journey, like Michel’s, the refugees deserve a better greeting. This book makes us realise this in such a way, it feels like you’re in the situation.

Rachel is definitely not a city person. Although Rachel boards at Sydney, she isn’t sucked into the latest technology. She can’t wait to get home, to the island, full of nature. People shouldn’t be so addicted to technology these days, but be addicted to nature. Michel lives on an island, and cares for his family more than anything. People, today, should care a lot more about other things.

What makes this book so special is its unique features. Out of all the books I’ve ever read, there has never been a plot as creative and imaginative as in this novel. Jackie French uses her stunning ability to describe scenes and events throughout the story. It is amazing how the words of the story created pictures in your mind as you read this thrilling book. It really feels like you’re there. Another unique feature of this book is the way Jackie French wrote; she has written the story from different views. Sometimes the way the characters say things, it can be hard to understand what they mean, but after a while you will get the hang of things. If you don’t, the other qualities of this book will make up for it!

I would recommend The White Ship for ages 10+, or people who can deal with emotions and death. The genre would be drama, and maybe some murder, adventure and mystery, too. This novel is definitely an award winning book.

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This is Millie’s first book review for Alphabet Soup. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Tag: Books about refugees

Book review: Home of the Brave

Book review: The White Ship