Stories of those who have had to leave homes behind.

 

Have just finished reading "The beekeeper of Aleppo" by Christy Lefteri. An incredibly moving yet uplifting tale of survival. It tells the story of Nuri a beekeeper and his wife Afra an artist. They start the novel living with their son in the beautiful city of Aleppo in Syria. As war ravages the city they have to make the difficult decision of whether to leave their beloved city and if so where to move to. After much trauma they journey first to Greece and finally onto the UK. They suffer incredible loss and face the most unimaginable horror on their journey. We are so accustomed to the images in the news but this novel really brings home the impact on the lives of those who have had to flee their countries. This book is one for our senior pupils and staff.

There are a number of books on this theme I would recommend for younger year groups. The recent graphic novel "Illegal" by Eoin Colfer follows a boy on his journey from Africa to the UK. Catherine Bruton's "No Ballet shoes in Syria" and  Onjali Q Rauf "The boy at the back of the class" both tackle the issue of prejudice as refugees try to settle in the UK. And one from a few years back by Catherine MacPhail "Mosi's war" is more in the style of a thriller but is essentially about a refugee boy living in Glasgow whilst waiting for asylum.  For older readers I would also recommend Ruta Sepetys " Salt to the sea" (watch trailer linked on side bar). These are all important stories, all different but essentially remind us that we are all human and in this world together and need to have empathy and understanding for each other.