  | Bone sparrow Author: Fraillon, Zana | |
| Price: $6.50 | ||
Summary:
Subhi's contained world as a refugee in an Australian permanent detention center rapidly expands when Jimmie arrives on the other side of the fence and asks him to read her late mother's stories to her.
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 4.90 Points: 8.0 Quiz: 502113 | Reading Counts Information: Interest Level: 3-5 Reading Level: 5.50 Points: 13.0 Quiz: 72070 | |
Reviews:
Booklist (+) (10/01/16)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 10/01/2016 *Starred Review* Unlike his maá and sister Queeny, Rohingya refugees forced to flee their native Myanmar by boat, Subhi was born in an Australian detention center. The crowded quarters, rationed portions, and exacting employees (the “Jackets”) are all the 10-year-old has ever known. Jimmie, on the other hand, was born on the outside—and lives just blocks from Subhi’s center. Once filled with books and gardens, her world was ruptured by the recent death of her mother. While Subhi’s stories, dreams, and drawings help him endure the center’s countless hardships as he awaits the arrival of his faraway father, Jimmie copes by sifting through memories. One remnant, an unread notebook of her mother’s, has her hunting for answers and finding them in, of all places, Subhi. As their stories gracefully interlock, the center seethes with unprecedented tension. The pivoting story line, with chapters alternating among Subhi, Jimmie, and sparkling slivers of family lore, allows Fraillon to explore the many faces of otherness, bravery, and solidarity. But Subhi’s narrative, whether he’s squabbling with a rubber duck or searching the stars, remains the standout of the three: wide-eyed, heartfelt, and infectiously imaginative. Appended with a glimpse at the “all-too-true reality” of refugee maltreatment, this tale is breathtaking and indispensable. As Subhi might say, “there is a fierce” inside of it. - Copyright 2016 Booklist.
