TY  - BOOK
AU  - Zephaniah, Benjamin
TI  - refugee boy
SN  - 9780747550860(fa
PY  - 2001///
CY  - London
PB  - Bloomsbury
KW  - Englischliteratur
KW  - Topic
KW  - Fiction
KW  - Eritrea
KW  - Ethiopia
KW  - Refugee
N2  - Gr. 8-12. Alem Kelo, the teenage son of an Eritrean mother and an Ethopian father, is endangered by the civil war raging between Eritrea and Ethiopia. Considered a "mongrel" by soldiers on both sides, Alem flees to England with his father, who abandons him so that Alem can seek refugee status. Alem is a bright, good-hearted boy who speaks three languages, but he doesn't have a clue about English life and laws. He receives help from the Refugee Council, but his life becomes increasingly difficult. At last, with aid from his friends and foster parents, he is able to stay safely in England. Zephaniah's writing is occasionally too stark, and secondary characters are sometimes flat. But Alem and his loving father are heartbreakingly real, and the plight of refugees in England is powerfully shown. This is a memorable story that will make a great choice for booktalking. Pair it with Beverly Naidoo's The Other Side of Truth, Booklist's 2001 Top of the List winner for Youth Fiction
ER  -