Refugee Week Lower School Reading by

Forced to Flee: Refugee Children Drawing on their Experiences by UNHCR

FHS_Library — 2025-05-15 12:14:59 UTC

Refugee children explain in their own words and pictures their thoughts, feelings and experiences about having to flee from their home countries. Produced in association with UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), this highly emotive title focuses on three current refugee crises in Syria, South Sudan and Central America.

We Are Displaced by Malala Yousafzai

FHS_Library — 2025-05-15 12:17:07 UTC

In this powerful and emotional New York Times bestseller, Nobel Peace Prize winner and activist Malala Yousafzai shares various stories of displacement, including her own. Part memoir, part communal storytelling, We Are Displaced introduces readers to some of the incredible girls Malala has met on her many journeys and lets each tell her story - girls who have lost their community, relatives and often the only world they've ever known, but have not lost hope. Longing for home and fear of an uncertain future binds all of these young women, but each is unique. In a time of immigration crises, war and border conflicts, We Are Displaced is an important reminder that every single one of the 79.5 million currently displaced is a person - often a young person - with dreams for a better, safer world.

'Home' by Warsan Shire

FHS_Library — 2025-05-15 12:19:02 UTC

You Don't Know What War Is by Yeva Skalietska

FHS_Library — 2025-05-15 12:20:42 UTC

Everyone knows the word 'war'. But very few understand what it truly means. When you find you have to face it, you feel totally lost, walled in by fright and despair. Until you've been there, you don't know what war is. This is the gripping, urgent and moving diary of young Ukrainian refugee Yeva Skalietska. It follows twelve days in Ukraine that changed 12-year-old Yeva's life forever. She was woken in the early hours to the terrifying sounds of shelling. Russia had invaded Ukraine, and her beloved Kharkiv home was no longer the safe haven it should have been. It was while she and her granny were forced to seek shelter in a damp, cramped basement that Yeva decided to write down her story. And it is a story that the world needs to hear. Yeva captured the nation's heart when she was featured on Channel 4 News with her granny as they fled Ukraine for Dublin. In You Don't Know What War Is, Yeva records what is happening hour-by-hour as she seeks safety and travels from Kharkiv to Dublin. Each eye-opening diary entry is supplemented by personal photographs, excerpts of messages between Yeva and her friends and daily headlines from around the world, while three beautifully detailed maps (by Kharkiv-native Olga Shtonda) help the reader track Yeva and her granny's journey through Europe. You Don't Know What War Is is a powerful insight into what conflict is like through the eyes of a child and an essential read for adults and older children alike.

The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees by Don Brown

FHS_Library — 2025-05-15 12:22:36 UTC

Starting in 2011, refugees flood out of war-torn Syria in Exodus-like proportions. The surprising flood of victims overwhelms neighbouring countries, and chaos follows. Resentment in host nations heightens as disruption and the cost of aid grows. By 2017, many want to turn their backs on the victims. The refugees are the unwanted.

Don Brown depicts moments of both heartbreaking horror and hope in the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis. Shining a light on the stories of the survivors, The Unwanted is a testament to the courage and resilience of the refugees and a call to action for all those who read.

Who are Refugees and Migrants? What Makes People Leave their Homes? And Other Big Questions by Michael Rosen & Annemarie Young

FHS_Library — 2025-05-15 12:23:59 UTC

What does it mean for people to have to leave their homes, and what happens when they seek entry to another country?
This book explores the history of refugees and migration around the world and the effects on people of never-ending war and conflict. It compares the effects on society of diversity and interculturalism with historical attempts to create a racially 'pure' culture. It takes an international perspective, and offers a range of views from people who have personal experience of migration, including the campaigners Meltem Avcil and Muzoon Almellehan, the comedian and actor Omid Djalili and the poet Benjamin Zephaniah. Aimed at young people aged 10 and upwards, the book encourages readers to think for themselves about the issues involved.

I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai with Patricia McCormick

FHS_Library — 2025-05-15 12:27:17 UTC

Written by Malala in collaboration with critically acclaimed author, Patricia McCormick, this children's edition tells the remarkable story of a girl who knew from a young age that she wanted to change the world - and did. Her journey will open your eyes to another world and will make you believe in hope, truth, miracles, and the determination of one person to inspire change. Raised in a once-peaceful area of Pakistan transformed by terrorism, Malala was taught to stand up for what she believes. So she fought for her right to be educated. And on 9 October, 2012, she nearly lost her life for the cause. She was shot point-blank on her way home from school. No one expected her to survive. Now, she is an international symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Red Leaves by Sita Brahmachari

FHS_Library — 2025-05-15 13:37:42 UTC

Aisha is a thirteen-year-old refugee living in London. Happy for the first time since leaving her war-torn home, she is devastated when her foster mother announces that a new family has been found for her and she will be moving on. Feeling rejected and abandoned, Aisha packs her bags and runs away, seeking shelter in the nearby woods. Meanwhile, a few doors down, twelve-year-old Zak is trying to cope with his parents' divorce. Living in a near-building site while the new house is being refurbished, he feels unsettled and alone. Discovering a piece of rubble with the original builder's signature set into it, he starts researching the history behind his home - and in doing so finds a connection with a young soldier from the past, which leads him to an old air-raid shelter in the same woods. Both children, previously unknown to each other, meet in the heart of the ancient city woodland as they come into the orbit of Elder, a strange homeless woman who lives amongst the trees - and, as helicopters hover overhead and newspapers fill with pictures of the two lost children, unexpected bonds are formed and lives changed forever

No Ballet Shoes in Syria by Catherine Bruton

FHS_Library — 2025-05-15 13:39:07 UTC

Aya is eleven years old and has just arrived in Britain with her mum and baby brother, seeking asylum from war in Syria. When Aya stumbles across a local ballet class, the formidable dance teacher spots her exceptional talent and believes that Aya has the potential to earn a prestigious ballet scholarship. But at the same time, Aya and her family must fight to be allowed to remain in the country, to make a home for themselves and to find Aya's father - separated from the rest of the family during the journey from Syria.

Running on the Roof of the World by Jess Butterworth

FHS_Library — 2025-05-15 13:41:46 UTC

There are two words that are banned in Tibet. Two words that can get you locked in prison without a second thought. I watch the soldiers tramping away and call the words after them. 'Dalai Lama.' Tash has to follow many rules to survive in Tibet, a country occupied by Chinese soldiers. But when a man sets himself on fire in protest and soldiers seize Tash's parents, she and her best friend Sam must break the rules. They are determined to escape Tibet - and seek the help of the Dalai Lama himself in India. And so, with a backpack of Tash's father's mysterious papers and two trusty yaks by their side, their extraordinary journey across the mountains begins.

Now is the Time for Running by Michael Williams

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 07:16:46 UTC

Deo is a great footballer, a fierce protector of his older brother, Innocent. His brother is easily nervous, easily happy but good at keeping score on the dusty fields of Zimbabwe where the boys play. Then Mugabe's soldiers come, destroying the only home the boys have known. Now, Deo has nothing but his brother, and a football stuffed with billions of worthless dollars. And so starts their journey to find their father. But with soldiers everywhere, they have only one chance to cross the border, one chance to escape. In face of such a challenge, it is Deo's brotherly love that endures, his belief that he will lead them both to safety. Micheal Williams's is a masterful storyteller who pulls you along the journey of a lifetime. Deo and Innocent's journey is a universal story of hope in the face of despair, and the search for a better life.

Illegal by Eoin Colfer & Andrew Donkin

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 07:33:01 UTC

Ebo: alone. His sister left months ago. Now his brother has disappeared too, and Ebo knows it can only be to make the hazardous journey to Europe. Ebo's epic journey takes him across the Sahara Desert to the dangerous streets of Tripoli, and finally out to the merciless sea. But with every step he holds on to his hope for a new life, and a reunion with his sister.

Boy, Everywhere by A. M. Dassu

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 07:35:40 UTC

This debut middle-grade novel chronicles the harrowing journey taken by Sami and his family from privilege to poverty, across countries and continents, from a comfortable life in Damascus, via a smuggler's den in Turkey, to a prison in Manchester. A story of survival, of family, of bravery ... In a world where we are told to see refugees as the 'other', this story will remind readers that 'they' are also 'us'.

Boy 87 by Ele Fountain

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 07:36:51 UTC

Shif is just an ordinary boy who likes chess, maths and racing his best friend home from school. But one day, soldiers with guns come to his door - and he knows that he is no longer safe. Shif is forced to leave his mother and little sister, and embark on a dangerous journey; a journey through imprisonment and escape, new lands and strange voices, and a perilous crossing by land and sea. He will encounter cruelty and kindness; he will become separated from the people he loves. Boy 87 is a gripping, uplifting tale of one boy's struggle for survival; it echoes the story of young people all over the world today.

Browse all Refugee Week reading on the Library catalogue

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 07:37:39 UTC

Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 07:39:27 UTC

Benjamin Zephaniah's honest, wry and poignant story of a young refugee left in London is of even more power and pertinence today than when it was first published. Life is not safe for Alem. His father is Ethopian, his mother Eritrean. Their countries are at war, and Alem is welcome in neither place. So Alem is excited to spend a holiday in London with his father – until he wakes up to find him gone. What seems like a betrayal is in fact an act of love, but now Alem is alone in a strange country, and he must forge his own path...

The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 07:41:11 UTC

Sometimes, at night, the dirt outside turns into a beautiful ocean. As red as the sun and as deep as the sky. Yet the ocean is something Subhi has never seen and the sky only as wide as the he can see. Born in a refugee camp, all Subhi knows of the world is that he's at least 19 fence diamonds high, the nice Jackets never stay long, and at night he dreams that the sea finds its way to his tent, bringing with it unusual treasures. Then, one day it brings him Jimmie. Carrying a notebook that she's unable to read and wearing a sparrow made out of bone around her neck - both talismans of her family's past and the mother she's lost - Jimmie strikes up an unlikely friendship with Subhi beyond the fence. As he reads aloud the tale of how Jimmie's family came to be, both children discover the importance of their own stories in writing their futures.

The Crossing by Manjeet Mann

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 07:42:26 UTC

A trailblazing new novel about two teenagers from opposite worlds; The Crossing is a profound story of hope, grief, and the very real tragedies of the refugee crisis. Natalie's world is falling apart. She's just lost her mum and her brother marches the streets of Dover full of hate and anger. Swimming is her only refuge. Sammy has fled his home and family in Eritrea for the chance of a new life in Europe. Every step he takes on his journey is a step into an unknown and unwelcoming future. A twist of fate brings them together and gives them both hope. But is hope enough to mend a broken world?

In the Sea There Are Crocodiles by Fabio Geda

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 07:44:00 UTC

I read somewhere that the decision to emigrate comes from a need to breathe. The hope of a better life is stronger than any other feeling. My mother decided it was better to know I was in danger far from her; but on the way to a different future, than to know I was in danger near her; but stuck in the same old fear.

At the age of ten, Enaiatollah Akbari was left alone to fend for himself. This is the heartbreaking, unforgettable story of his journey from Afghanistan to Italy in an attempt to find a safe place to live.

The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle by Victoria Williamson

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 07:45:02 UTC

Reema runs to remember the life she left behind in Syria. Caylin runs to find what she's lost. Under the grey Glasgow skies, twelve-year-old refugee Reema is struggling to find her place in a new country, with a new language and without her brother. But she isn't the only one feeling lost. Her Glasgwegian neighbour Caylin is lonely and lashing out. When they discover an injured fox and her cubs hiding on their estate, the girls form a wary friendship. And they are more alike than they could have imagined: they both love to run. As Reema and Caylin learn to believe again, in themselves and in others, they find friendship, freedom and the discovery that home isn't a place, it's the people you love.

The Other Side of Truth by Beverley Naidoo

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 08:52:33 UTC

When twelve-year-old Sade's mother is killed, she and her little brother Femi are forced to flee from their home in Nigeria to Britain. They're not allowed to tell anyone - not even their best friends - as their whole journey is secret, dangerous - and illegal. Their dad promises to follow when he can, but once the children arrive in London, things go from bad to worse when they're abandoned by the people they had been told would protect them. Sade faces challenge after challenge - but her dad has always taught her to stand up for what is right, and to tell the truth no matter what. And with that strength of spirit in her heart, Sade will find the courage to fight for the new, happy life she, Femi and her dad deserve.

Welcome to Nowhere by Elizabeth Laird

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 08:54:27 UTC

Twelve-year-old Omar and his brothers and sisters were born and raised in the beautiful and bustling city of Bosra, Syria. Omar doesn't care about politics - all he wants is to grow up to become a successful businessman who will take the world by storm. But when his clever older brother, Musa, gets mixed up with some young political activists, everything changes... Before long, bombs are falling, people are dying, and Omar and his family have no choice but to flee their home with only what they can carry. Yet no matter how far they run, the shadow of war follows them - until they have no other choice than to attempt the dangerous journey to escape their homeland altogether. But where do you go when you can't go home?

The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 08:55:32 UTC

When a new boy joins their class, a group of children try to befriend him. They soon learn that Ahmet is a refugee and has been separated from his family. None of the grown-ups seem to be able to help him, so the friends come up with a daring plan, embarking on an extraordinary adventure. Onjali Q. Raúf is Founder and CEO of the London based human rights organisation Making Herstory, working in partnership with other movements to end the abuse, trafficking and enslavement of women and girls in the UK and beyond. Based in part on the stories she encountered when working in refugee camps, The Boy at the Back of the Class is a remarkable debut that deserves to be ranked as a modern classic.

The Arrival by Shaun Tan

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 08:57:39 UTC

What drives so many to leave everything behind and journey alone to a mysterious country, a place without family or friends, where everything is nameless and the future is unknown. This silent graphic novel is the story of every migrant, every refugee, every displaced person, and a tribute to all those who have made the journey.

Oranges in No Man's Land by Elizabeth Laird

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 08:59:32 UTC

Since her father left Lebanon to find work and her mother tragically died in a shell attack, ten-year-old Ayesha has been living in the bomb-ravaged city of Beirut with her granny and her two younger brothers. The city has been torn in half by civil war and a desolate, dangerous no man's land divides the two sides. Only militiamen and tanks dare enter this deadly zone, but when Granny falls desperately ill, Ayesha sets off on a terrifying journey to reach a doctor living in enemy territory.

Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 09:00:45 UTC

On a moonlit beach a father cradles his sleeping son as they wait for dawn to break and a boat to arrive. He speaks to his boy of the long summers of his childhood, recalling his grandfather's house in Syria, the stirring of olive trees in the breeze, the bleating of his grandmother's goat, the clanking of her cooking pots. And he remembers, too, the bustling city of Homs with its crowded lanes, its mosque and grand souk, in the days before the sky spat bombs and they had to flee. When the sun rises they and those around them will gather their possessions and embark on a perilous sea journey in search of a new home.

Refugee by Alan Gratz

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 09:02:35 UTC

JOSEF is a Jewish boy living in 1930s Nazi Germany. With the threat of concentration camps looming, he and his family board a ship bound for the other side of the world...

ISABEL is a Cuban girl in 1994. With riots and unrest plaguing her country, she and her family set out on a raft, hoping to find safety in America...

MAHMOUD is a Syrian boy in 2015. With his homeland torn apart by violence and destruction, he and his family begin a long trek toward Europe...

All three kids go on harrowing journeys in search of refuge. All will face unimaginable dangers -- from drownings to bombings

to betrayals. But there is always the hope of tomorrow. And although Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud are separated by continents and decades, shocking connections will tie their stories together in the end.

Seven Million Sunflowers by Malcolm Duffy

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 09:03:48 UTC

15-year-old Kateryno and her family live in Kharkiv. Their lives are shattered when on February 24th 2022 the Russian army invades. Their apartment block is struck by a missile. After weeks living in their basement, Kateryno, her mother, and brother, decide to leave, joining seven million Ukrainian refugees. They come to England and meet their host family, the Hawkins. But their new beginning brings a whole new set of problems.

Parvana's Journey by Deborah Ellis

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 09:04:57 UTC

Parvana's father has died, and her mother, sister and brother have gone to a faraway wedding, not knowing what has happened to the father. Parvana doesn't know where they are. She just knows she has to find them. She sets out alone, disguised as a boy, her journey becoming more perilous as the bombs begin to fall. Making her way across the desolate Afghan countryside, she meets other children who have been caught up in the war-an infant boy in a bombed-out village, a nine-year-old girl who believes she has magical powers over land mines, and a boy with one leg. The children travel together because it is easier than being alone. And, as they forge their own family in the war zone that Afghanistan has become, their resilience, imagination and luck help them to survive.

When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 09:06:15 UTC

A heart-wrenching true story about life in a Kenyan refugee camp that will restore your faith in real-life happy endings. Omar and his brother Hassan, two Somali boys, have spent a long time in the Dadaab refugee camp. Separated from their mother, they are looked after by a friendly stranger. Life in the camp isn't always easy. The hunger is constant... but there's football to look forward to, and now there's a chance Omar will get to go to school...

Facts About Refugees

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 09:09:57 UTC

Timeline: 400 Years of Refugee Movement to the UK

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 09:10:42 UTC

Global Displacement Figures at a Glance (UN Refugee Agency)

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 09:11:18 UTC

Simple Acts

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 09:13:13 UTC

Refugee Week's suggested everyday to support refugees

The Power of Welcome: Real-life Refugee and Migrant Journeys by Ada Jusic, Marie Bamyani, Ramzee, Sonya Zhurenko, & Nadine Kaadan

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 09:41:06 UTC

A powerful graphic novel exploring the struggle for survival of displaced people. With true stories from Ukraine, Somalia, Bosnia, Syria and Afghanistan, this moving book collects important tales about the real journeys of people forced from their homes by conflict.

Somalia: 'It was a normal, boring day. I was playing videogames after homework when the first bomb fell.'

Bosnia: 'One day, Mum took me to the local playground. A sniper shot at us. We couldn't stay in Bosnia any more.'

Ukraine: 'On the 24th of February, Mum woke me up by saying: 'The war has begun.'

With stories from Ada Jusic (Bosnia), Marie Bamyani (Afghanistan), Sonya Zhurenko (Ukraine), Ramzee (Somalia) and Nadine Kaadan (Syria). Full-colour graphic novel art by Bosnian refugee, Ada Jusic.

Amnesty International Refugee Rights File

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 10:01:02 UTC

Ali's Journey from Afghanistan

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 10:02:14 UTC

Hamid's Journey from Eritrea

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 10:02:39 UTC

Juliane's Journey from Zimbabwe

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 10:03:07 UTC

Navid's Journey from Iran

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 10:03:25 UTC

Rachel's Journey from a Country in Eurasia

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 10:03:48 UTC

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

FHS_Library — 2025-05-16 10:10:35 UTC

It's early 1945 and a group of people trek across Germany, bound together by their desperation to reach the ship that can take them away from the war-ravaged land. Four young people, each haunted by their own dark secret, narrate their unforgettable stories... Ruta Sepetys devoted three years of research into what still remains the worst maritime disaster in history, the sinking of the German military transport ship the Wilhelm Gustloffin 1945. Some 9,400 lives were lost. Salt to the Sea picks up on four of those lives, a group of young people desperate to flee Germany by any means, even if this is a dangerously overcrowded vessel in a Baltic port.

My Name is Samim by Fidan Meikle

FHS_Library — 2025-05-19 11:09:37 UTC

Thirteen-year-old Samim is a loyal friend, a gifted chess player -- and a refugee. After his family is killed in a bombing, Samim makes a long, dangerous journey from Afghanistan to the UK. But even then his safety isn't guaranteed: Samim must tell his story to convince the authorities to let him stay for good. Samim relives the perils he faced and remembers the many friends he made and lost -- the intrepid girl who dressed as a boy for safety, the courageous grandmother seeking a new home for her nine grandchildren, and especially his funny, spirited best friend Zayn. With his past never forgotten, Samim begins to build a new life in the UK: starting school and making new friends. But he also faces bigoted bullies and an uncertain future. Will Samim be granted asylum and allowed to stay in his new home?