Refugee 87

by Ele Fountain

Overview

A young refugee crosses continents in this timely, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting novel of survival.



Shif has a happy life, unfamiliar with the horrors of his country's regime. He is one of the smartest boys in school, and feels safe and loved in the home he shares with his mother and little sister, right next door to his best friend. But the day that soldiers arrive at his door, Shif knows that he will never be safe again — his only choice is to run. Facing both unthinkable cruelty and boundless kindness, Shif bravely makes his way towards a future he can barely imagine.


Based on real experiences and written in spare, powerful prose, this gripping debut illustrates the realities faced by countless young refugees across the world today. Refugee 87 is a story of friendship, kindness, hardship, survival, and — above all — hope.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316423014
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	06/02/2020
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	596,191
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.95(d)
Lexile:	720L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Ele Fountain worked for many years as a children's book editor before turning to writing. She lives outside London with her family. Refugee 87 is her debut novel.

Editorial Reviews

04/15/2019

Shif, 14, has lived in poverty with his mother and little sister, and under the constant threat of political danger, since losing his father more than seven years earlier. Narrated in Shif’s unadorned, present-tense voice and set in a nameless country under military control, Fountain’s debut depicts the boy’s strong friendship and good-natured rivalry with neighbor Bini, with whom he shares a passion for studying and ambitions for a professional future. After the two are unexpectedly taken by soldiers and imprisoned in the desert with a group of older men, all unjustly captured by the military government, the prisoners choose the boys to escape and spread word of their detention and conditions. They do escape, but only Shif makes it across the border and into a precarious existence as a refugee. Opening with the dramatic closing scene, the book builds up to that climactic moment, eventually relieving the growing tension over Shif’s fate. The story’s grim aspects (relentless hunger and thirst, extreme temperature shifts, the guards’ brutality) may overwhelm more sensitive readers, but Shif’s blunt and sympathetic voice turns today’s headlines into one compassionate and resilient boy’s experience. Ages 8–12. Agent: Allison Hellegers, Rights People, on behalf of Sarah Odedina and Adam Freudenheim, Pushkin Press. (June)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Refugee 87:

* "A gripping novel that leaves you on the edge of your seat rooting for Shif's survival."—School Library Connection (starred review)

"A suspenseful debut novel about the forces of greed and love that shape a refugee's fate."—Kirkus Reviews

"Shif's blunt and sympathetic voice turns today's headlines into one compassionate and resilient boy's experience."—Publishers Weekly

"Exceptional...vivid, convincing and empathetic...a tale of our time, imparting understanding and sympathy...powerfully told, without sentimentality."—Sunday Times (UK)

"Full of tension, fear, heartbreak and hope, it conveys both the bitterness of having family, home and identity stolen away piecemeal, and a courageous determination to survive."—The Guardian (UK)

"A remarkable debut novel...While being an incredibly timely read, above all, [Refugee 87] is about friendship and hope."—iNews (UK)

From the Publisher

Narrator Damian Lynch provides a credible accent for Shif, a 14-year-old boy from a war-torn country, presumably Africa or the Middle East. Lynch sweeps listeners into this story of a young teen who is kidnapped from a happy home by soldiers. The grim, desperate tone Lynch uses as he describes Shif's determination to escape his imprisonment alternates with with lighter moments of hope as he contemplates the possibility of a happier future. These emotional shifts, as well as the traumatic events described, make this audiobook suitable for older kids. Listeners interested in a relevant, first-person story of a boy who is attempting to escape unspeakable horrors will find it in this audiobook. E.J.F. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

AUGUST 2019 - AudioFile

Narrator Damian Lynch provides a credible accent for Shif, a 14-year-old boy from a war-torn country, presumably Africa or the Middle East. Lynch sweeps listeners into this story of a young teen who is kidnapped from a happy home by soldiers. The grim, desperate tone Lynch uses as he describes Shif's determination to escape his imprisonment alternates with with lighter moments of hope as he contemplates the possibility of a happier future. These emotional shifts, as well as the traumatic events described, make this audiobook suitable for older kids. Listeners interested in a relevant, first-person story of a boy who is attempting to escape unspeakable horrors will find it in this audiobook. E.J.F. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

AUGUST 2019 - AudioFile

2019-03-17
After a family secret reveals that his freedom might be in danger, the life of Shif, a 14-year-old African boy who excels at school, takes an unexpected turn.

Shif needs to leave his home country (not named but probably Eritrea) to escape military service by being smuggled to Europe. But plans to escape are cut short, and he is rounded up with his best friend, Bini, to a prison where dissidents are often kept for life without trial. As the older inmates help the young boys plot an escape, Shif and Bini learn that their stories are not unique in a country where no one is allowed to criticize the government and there is always something someone could be punished for. Escaping the prison that's in the middle of the desert comes at a huge price. When Shif arrives at a town where he does not know the language, he is thirsty, hungry, dirty, and almost dead. A door opens when he meets the family of Almaz, a young girl from his country, and finds out that they are on the run too, but new forms of danger loom en route to Europe via the desert and then the sea. Shif's present-tense narration pins readers to his side throughout his ordeal. The publisher's suggested age range is 8 to 12, but the narrative feel, all-too-realistic violence, and relentless grimness of Shif's circumstances suggest an older audience.

A suspenseful debut novel about the forces of greed and love that shape a refugee's fate. (Fiction. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews