Books for Secondary
Many children and young people in your schools will be concerned about the images shown on television recently,highlighting the plight of refugees and particularly the effects on children caught up in the crisis.
You may want to address their questions and concerns in class but feel unsure about how to best approach it.
Please send any further refugee related classroom or assembly resources that you are willing to share with other teachers to:.
Books for Secondary Education
After Tomorrow Gillian Cross (2013 OUP)
Novel about the efforts of two refugee children to get to the United Kingdom.
The Arrival Shaun Tan (2014 Hachette Books, Australia)
Worldless graphic novel, charting the arrival of an immigrant, with the reader sharing his confusion as he tries to settle into a new country.
The Breadwinner Series by Deborah Ellis:
The Breadwinner; Deborah Ellis (2001OUP)
First in a series charting the story of Parvana as she has to take on the role of supporting her family when her father is taken away by the Taliban in pre-NATO Afghanistan. Inspired by children met by the author while working in refugee camps in Pakistan.
Parvana’s Journey; Deborah Ellis (2002 OUP)
2nd novel in the series, further development of Parvana as she leads a small group of children across Afghanistan.
Mud City; Deborah Ellis (2004 OUP)
3rd Novel. Parvana finds herself in a camp in Peshawar, Pakistan. However, the conditions and conscience weigh on her to take on a new path.
My Name is Parvana; Deborah Ellis (2014 OUP)
4th Novel. Parvana continues to try and rebuild, but is faced with the double danger of the American Army and the resurgent Taliban.
Children of War: Voices of Iraqi Refugees; Deborah Ellis (2010 Groundwood Books)
Factual accounts told by children who have been made refugees by the ongoing warfare in Iraq.
The Diary of A Young Girl; Anne Frank ((1944) 2007 Puffin)
The diary of Anne Frank is arguably the most well-known piece of children’s writing to emerge from World War Two.
Free? Stories celebrating human rights; Amnesty International (2009 Walker Books)
A collection of short stories highlighting 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The collection draws upon scenarios from across the world.
I Am David; Ann Holm (1965 Egmont)
Novel following the escape of a child from a concentration camp, discovery of the world outside, and their effort to survive against the odds.
I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up For Education And Was Shot By The Taliban; Malala Yousafzai (2014 W&N Press)
Autobiography of Malala, whose stance on universal education is one of the most determined and courageous this century. Now in exile in Britain, this is her story.
Maus; Art Spiegelman (2003 edn Penguin Books)
Iconic and controversial Pullitzer-winning graphic novel of the Holocaust, made famous by Spiegelman’s anthropomorphic characters. Banned in Russia for its use of Nazi images as part of the artwork, Spiegelman’s motifs and story-telling raises difficult questions over Holocaust representation and freedom of speech to this day.
In Order To Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey To Freedom; Yeonmi Park (2015 Fig Tree)
Autobiography of the escape of a North Korean girl from one of the repressive regime there. Tells the story of being in the hands of people smugglers and the feat of crossing the Gobi desert to eventually arrive in South Korea.
Kids of Kabul: Living Bravely Through a Never-Ending War; Deborah Ellis (2012 Groundwood Books)
Factual accounts of children, particularly young girls, in the post-Taliban Afghanistan.
The Kite Runner; Khaled Hosseini (2011 Bloomsbury)
Hosseini’s debut novel has since been made into a film and sold millions of copies worldwide. Set in pre-Soviet invasion Afghanistan, and spread across Afghanistan’s history up to the Taliban, it voices the experience of an earlier generation of Afghan refugees and their take on events. Hosseini is the son of a political refugee from the 1980s, and currently works with UNHCR.
The Other Side of Truth; Beverley Naidoo (2000Puffin Books)
Novel tracing the story of two Nigerian children who are taken to Britain and abandoned at Victoria Station, London. Set during the military dictatorship in Nigeria and echoing the events around the show trial and execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa.
Passage to Freedom: The Sugihara Story; Ken Mochizuki (2004 Lee and Bow Books)
Written in collaboration with Chiune Sugihara’s son, this tells the story of how a Japanese diplomat disobeyed orders and issued over 6000 visas to Jewish refugees in order to get them out of war-torn Eastern Europe.
Refugee Boy; Benjamin Zephaniah (2001Bloomsbury)
Powerful novel from Benjamin Zephaniah, where the teenage protagonist is abandoned in London in the hope that he will be safe from the political problems in Ethiopia. NB: Teachers notes are available in the classroom resources section.
The Road Home; Rose Tremain (2008 Vintage Press)
Novel following the journey of an Eastern European economic migrant coming to Britain, and the strange, even hostile, reception he receives.
The Silver Sword; Ian Serallier (1956, republished Red Fox 2003)
Four children, separated from their parents, try to make it to the safety of Switzwerland through the aftermath of World War Two.
Sour Sweet; Timothy Mo (1982 Paddleless Press)
Shortlisted for the 1982 Booker Prize, this novel explores the clans and conflicts of Soho's Chinatown, where the Chen family arrive and want to succeed as restaurateurs in the 1960s. No family can survive for long without encountering the Triads.
Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak; Deborah Ellis (2006 Groundwood Books)
Twenty interviews with children on both sides of the conflict and carrying their own fears and scars.
Twin Ambitions: My Autobiography; Mo Farah (2013 Hodder & Stoughton)
Arriving in Britain aged only eight, Mo has moved from being to one of the greatest athletes in British history. This 2013 autobiography charts his journey, covering from the time he moved to London to be with his father, speaking very little English, through to the struggles with his performance in Beijing and eventual triumph at London 2012
The Wave, Todd Strasser (2013 edition, Ember Press)
The novelisation of a 1981 TV movie that fictionalised a real High School experiment in fascism and segregation. It is a chilling tale of how majoritarianism and conformity can rapidly dominate a social setting. Several adaptations have been made since.
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit; Judith Kerr (2008 edition HarperCollins Childrens’ Books)
A fictionalised account of being a Jewish child refugee fleeing from Germany in the 1930s. Judith Kerr is best known for her children’s stories such as Mog and The Tiger Who Came To Tea, and this is based on her own experiences. This is the first in a trilogy, followed by Bombs on Aunt Dainty and A Small Person Far Away. Recommended for year 8+
Additionally, Home Economics/Cooking classes might find this interesting:
Cooking a Home: a collection of recipes and stories of Syrian refugees; Pilar Puig Corteda (2015 Authorhouse UK)
Collection of experiences and recipes gathered by the author during her work in a refugee camp in Jordan. An interesting way to view the culture and resilience of refugees as they hold on to their identity while escaping the conflict.
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