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Cultural Stories
Welcome to Nowhere by Elizabeth Laird
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?
Call Number: STF F LAI
ISBN: 9781509840472
Publication Date: 2017-11-01
Amal unbound by Aisha Saeed
Twelve-year-old Amal loves learning and dreams of becoming a teacher. Then something unimaginable happens. After an accidental run-in with the son of her village's corrupt landlord, she is forced to work as his family's servant to pay off her own family's debt. At the opulent and corrupt Khan estate, Amal realises she will have to find a way to work with others in order to bring about change, and to achieve her dreams.
Call Number: STF F SAE
ISBN: 9781925773026
Publication Date: 2018
The Night diary by Veera Hiranandani
Shy twelve-year-old Nisha, forced to flee her home with her Hindu family during the 1947 partition of India, tries to find her voice and make sense of the world falling apart around her by writing to her deceased Muslim mother in the pages of her diary.
Call Number: STF F HIR
ISBN: 9780525552949
Publication Date: 2018
Cultural Stories
Jumping to Heaven by Katherine Goode
Children from Bosnia, Cambodia, El Salvador, Herzegovina, Iraq, Sudan, and Vietnam who have come to Australia to escape persecution are given a voice in this collection of short stories compiled from interviews with refugees. Written for a more mature youth, the stories evoke the sad, scary, thought-provoking, and sometimes amusing experiences of children and families who have displayed extraordinary courage and hope. This collection offers insight to bridge the gap between refugees and those permanently settled and gives youth a global perspective on the refugee experience.
Call Number: F GOO
ISBN: 9781862544277
Publication Date: 2004-09-01
Listen, Layla by Yassmin Abdel-Magied
Exploring the diaspora experience, race, politics and identity, Listen, Layla by Yassmin Abdel-Magied is an own voices novel for young readers, which bursts with passion, humour and truth. Layla has ended the school year on a high and can't wait to spend the holidays hanging out with her friends and designing a prize-winning Grand Designs Tourismo invention. But Layla's plans are interrupted when her grandmother in Sudan falls ill and the family rush to be with her. The last time Layla went to Sudan she was only a young child. Now she feels torn between her Sudanese and Australian identities. As political tensions in Sudan erupt, so too do tensions between Layla and her family. Layla is determined not to lose her place in the invention team, but will she go against her parents' wishes? What would a Kandaka do?
Call Number: F ABD
ISBN: 9781760896065
Publication Date: 2021-11-01
Boy, everywhere by A M Dassu
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'.
Call Number: STF F DAS
ISBN: 9781910646649
Publication Date: 2020
One Half from the East by Nadia Hashimi
Obayda's family is in need of some good fortune. Her father lost one of his legs in a bomb explosion, forcing the family to move from their home city of Kabul to a small village, where life is very different and Obayda's father almost never leaves his room. One day, Obayda's aunt has an idea to bring the family luck, dress Obayda, the youngest of her sisters, as a boy, a bacha posh. Now Obayda is Obayd. Life in this in-between place is confusing, but once Obayda meets another bacha posh, everything changes. The two of them can explore the village on their own, climbing trees, playing sports, and more. But their transformation won't last forever, unless the two best friends can figure out a way to make it stick and make their newfound freedoms endure.
Call Number: STF F HAS
ISBN: 9780062572196
Publication Date: 2016-01-01
Cultural Stories
Tiger Stone by Deryn Mansell
Tiger eyes, tiger spirit, tiger stone. Only a daughter could unlock the stone’s power. Java, fourteenth century. The villagers are fearful of Mbah Merapi, the rumbling volcano that overshadows their lives. Kancil, the lowliest kitchen servant, knows the real danger is human but she is fatherless and mute – and she will lose everything if her identity is revealed. How can Kancil warn the villagers of the danger they are in?
Call Number: F MAN
ISBN: 9781742032399
Publication Date: 2014
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
The book is written as two concurrent stories that take place almost 25 years apart. They're tied together by their location, the Sudan. There are two main characters, young Nya, a girl in contemporary Sudan whose sole job is to walk miles across the blazing, barren countryside twice a day to fetch muddy water. Her job, in other words is to keep her family alive. The other character, Salva, is one of the "lost boys" separated from his family by the civil war in 1985.
Call Number: STF F PAR
ISBN: 9780547577319
Publication Date: 2011-10-04
Cultural Stories
Does my head look big in this? by Randa Abdel-Fattah
Welcome to my world. I'm Amal Abdel-Hakim, a seventeen year-old Australian-Palestinian-Muslim still trying to come to grips with my various identity hyphens.
It's hard enough being cool as a teenager when being one issue behind the latest Cosmo is enough to disqualify you from the in-group. Try wearing a veil on your head and practising the bum's up position at lunchtime and you know you're in for a tough time at school.
Luckily my friends support me, although they've got a few troubles of their own. Simone, blonde, gorgeous and overweight – she's got serious image issues, and Leila's really intelligent but her parents are more interested in her getting a marriage certificate than her high school certificate!
Call Number: F ABD
ISBN: 9780330421850
Publication Date: 2005
Welcome to Nowhere by
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?
Amal unbound by
Twelve-year-old Amal loves learning and dreams of becoming a teacher. Then something unimaginable happens. After an accidental run-in with the son of her village's corrupt landlord, she is forced to work as his family's servant to pay off her own family's debt. At the opulent and corrupt Khan estate, Amal realises she will have to find a way to work with others in order to bring about change, and to achieve her dreams.
The Night diary by
Shy twelve-year-old Nisha, forced to flee her home with her Hindu family during the 1947 partition of India, tries to find her voice and make sense of the world falling apart around her by writing to her deceased Muslim mother in the pages of her diary.
Jumping to Heaven by
Children from Bosnia, Cambodia, El Salvador, Herzegovina, Iraq, Sudan, and Vietnam who have come to Australia to escape persecution are given a voice in this collection of short stories compiled from interviews with refugees. Written for a more mature youth, the stories evoke the sad, scary, thought-provoking, and sometimes amusing experiences of children and families who have displayed extraordinary courage and hope. This collection offers insight to bridge the gap between refugees and those permanently settled and gives youth a global perspective on the refugee experience.
Listen, Layla by
Exploring the diaspora experience, race, politics and identity, Listen, Layla by Yassmin Abdel-Magied is an own voices novel for young readers, which bursts with passion, humour and truth. Layla has ended the school year on a high and can't wait to spend the holidays hanging out with her friends and designing a prize-winning Grand Designs Tourismo invention. But Layla's plans are interrupted when her grandmother in Sudan falls ill and the family rush to be with her. The last time Layla went to Sudan she was only a young child. Now she feels torn between her Sudanese and Australian identities. As political tensions in Sudan erupt, so too do tensions between Layla and her family. Layla is determined not to lose her place in the invention team, but will she go against her parents' wishes? What would a Kandaka do?
Boy, everywhere by
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'.
One Half from the East by
Obayda's family is in need of some good fortune. Her father lost one of his legs in a bomb explosion, forcing the family to move from their home city of Kabul to a small village, where life is very different and Obayda's father almost never leaves his room. One day, Obayda's aunt has an idea to bring the family luck, dress Obayda, the youngest of her sisters, as a boy, a bacha posh. Now Obayda is Obayd. Life in this in-between place is confusing, but once Obayda meets another bacha posh, everything changes. The two of them can explore the village on their own, climbing trees, playing sports, and more. But their transformation won't last forever, unless the two best friends can figure out a way to make it stick and make their newfound freedoms endure.
Tiger Stone by
Tiger eyes, tiger spirit, tiger stone. Only a daughter could unlock the stone’s power. Java, fourteenth century. The villagers are fearful of Mbah Merapi, the rumbling volcano that overshadows their lives. Kancil, the lowliest kitchen servant, knows the real danger is human but she is fatherless and mute – and she will lose everything if her identity is revealed. How can Kancil warn the villagers of the danger they are in?
A Long Walk to Water by
The book is written as two concurrent stories that take place almost 25 years apart. They're tied together by their location, the Sudan. There are two main characters, young Nya, a girl in contemporary Sudan whose sole job is to walk miles across the blazing, barren countryside twice a day to fetch muddy water. Her job, in other words is to keep her family alive. The other character, Salva, is one of the "lost boys" separated from his family by the civil war in 1985.
Does my head look big in this? by
Welcome to my world. I'm Amal Abdel-Hakim, a seventeen year-old Australian-Palestinian-Muslim still trying to come to grips with my various identity hyphens.
It's hard enough being cool as a teenager when being one issue behind the latest Cosmo is enough to disqualify you from the in-group. Try wearing a veil on your head and practising the bum's up position at lunchtime and you know you're in for a tough time at school.
Luckily my friends support me, although they've got a few troubles of their own. Simone, blonde, gorgeous and overweight – she's got serious image issues, and Leila's really intelligent but her parents are more interested in her getting a marriage certificate than her high school certificate!