About this item
Highlights
- A powerfully moving, award-winning graphic novel that explores the current plight of undocumented immigrants from New York Times bestselling author Eoin Colfer and the team behind the Artemis Fowl graphic novels.
- 144 Pages
- Juvenile Fiction, Comics & Graphic Novels
Description
About the Book
A powerfully moving graphic novel by "New York Times"-bestselling author Colfer and the team behind the Artemis Fowl graphic novels that explores the current plight of undocumented immigrants.Book Synopsis
A powerfully moving, award-winning graphic novel that explores the current plight of undocumented immigrants from New York Times bestselling author Eoin Colfer and the team behind the Artemis Fowl graphic novels. How can a human being be illegal for simply existing?
Ebo is alone. His brother, Kwame, has disappeared, and Ebo knows it can only be to attempt the hazardous journey to Europe, and a better life--the same journey their sister set out on months ago. But Ebo refuses to be left behind in Ghana. He sets out after Kwame and joins him on the quest to reach 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 family.
An achingly poignant tale for learning about immigration and current global issues. This book is fiction, but it is based on a very real and terrible journey. There are young people who have lived this, and it is a story those young people want us to know about.
2019 Excellence in Graphic Literature Award Winner
A New York Public Library Best Book of 2018
A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2018
An Amazon Best Book of 2018
A Kirkus Reviews Best Middle Grade Graphic Novel of 2018
An American Library Association Notable Book for 2019
2019 YALSA Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens
2019 CBC Notable Social Studies Book
A Junior Library Guild Selection
Review Quotes
"Illegal powerfully visualizes the current struggles being faced by refugees and emigrants...through stunning, intimate visuals" -- Entertainment Weekly
"A thrilling and moving addition to any collection, and ideal supplemental reading in classes where students are studying immigration." -- School Library Journal
"Achingly poignant graphic novel" -- Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review
"Action-filled and engaging but considerate of both topic and audience, Ebo's story effectively paints a picture of a child refugee's struggle in a world crisscrossed by hostile borders." -- Kirkus Reviews
"Moving and heartbreaking... Ebo's story is powerful and necessary, and will encourage readers to help refugees in whatever ways they can." -- Bookish
"Moving and informative, Illegal puts an unforgettable human face to the issue of immigration; it is recommended for all readers of middle school level or higher." -- ForeWord, STARRED Review
"Raw, realistic, and emotional, this graphic novel puts a harrowing spin on immigration and the risks people take to seek opportunities in other countries.... This graphic novel...makes truths about humanity abundantly clear with the frightening situations and tragic outcomes conveyed through the narrative, emotive illustrations, and the true story in the last five pages. Middle and high schools can use this book in curriculum and recommend it to comic enthusiasts." -- VOYA Magazine
"The complete package is a highly accessible introduction to the plight of all refugees... a memorial to the dead and, to the unstoppable living, a call to action." -- The New York Times
"The horrors Ebo witnesses, the impossibilities he survives, are haunting testimony to the human spirit. Artemis Fowl series creator Colfer (who taught elementary school in Italy, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia) leads the team... in transforming staggering statistics (UNHCR's 2017 data cites 65.6 million have been forcibly displaced) into a resonating story about a single boy and what remains of his family. Italian artist Rigano's gorgeously saturated panels--rich in details, affecting in its captured expressions, landscapes made spectacular as if a reminder of everyday beauty despite tragedy--proves to be an enhancing visual gift to the already stirring story. A creators' note and quotes from real refugees close out this illuminating, important volume. " -- Booklist, STARRED Review