Alem shows Ruth a photo of him and his parents. I really like this part of the book, with Alem and his foster sister, Ruth. While Alem is facing all of these new challenges, he's slowly starting to make new friends. Alem discovers his new home, Britain, may be about to send him back there. He missed the sounds of home, he missed the smell of its earth, the smell of its people and even the smell of its cities.īut the home Alem loves is a war zone. Alem missed seeing animals that weren't just pets. Never forgetting everything he has left behind. And these are the streets that Alem walks, taking it one day at a time. Here where I am, in Manor Park in East London. Meat and two veg, and gravy just to keep the food wet. And then there's new lessons at the new school. Full of shocks and new experiences,Īppearing in court in front of judges, having his fingerprints taken, and questions. Britain isn't Alem's home so he must become a refugee here, and that life is hard. He brings Alem to Britain and leaves him here, so he won't die in the fighting back at home. With hatred and war all around them, Alem's dad does something very brave. 'And he is the enemy.' Then he turned and pointed the rifle at Alem's forehead. 'You are a traitor.' He turned and pointed the rifle at Alem's father. The soldier raised his rifle, and pointed it at Alem's mother. The soldier continued shouting, 'Are you Eritrean or Ethiopian?' 'Tell us, we want to know.' 'I am an African,' Alem's mother replied.

'Please, leave us!' 'We only want peace.'

'Alem looked on terrified as the soldier shot a number of bullets into the floor around the feet of his mother and father. Neither place is safe for Alem and his parents. When a war breaks out between these two countries, Alem's mother is from Eritrea, a country in Africa, and Alem's father is from Ethiopia, the country just over the border. Stories like Alem's, in this book, called Refugee Boy. Everyone around you has a story if you just stop and ask them, and books are a brilliant way of discovering some of those stories.

Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah