Winner, Quebec Writers' Federation Janet Savage Blachford Prize for Children and Young Adult Literature
Finalist, Governor General’s Literary Award for Young People’s Literature
In this sequel to the award-winning A Boy Is Not a Bird, a boy is exiled to Siberia during World War II. Based on a true story.
Torn from his home in Eastern Europe, with his father imprisoned in a Siberian gulag, twelve-year-old Natt finds himself stranded with other deportees in a schoolyard in Novosibirsk. And he is about to discover that life can indeed get worse than the horrific two months he and his mother have spent being transported on a bug-infested livestock train. He needs to write to his best friend, Max, but he knows the Soviet police reads everyone’s mail. So Natt decides to write in code, and his letters are a lifeline, even though he never knows whether Max will receive them.
Every day becomes a question of survival, and where they might be shunted to next. When his mother is falsely arrested for stealing potatoes, Natt is truly on his own and must learn how to live the uncertain life of an exile. Practice being invisible as a ghost, change your name and identity if you have to, watch out for spies, and never draw the attention of the authorities.
Even then, he will need luck on his side if he is ever going to be reunited with his family.
Key Text Features
author's note
Illustrations
map
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3
Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3
Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.6
Describe how a narrator's or speaker's point of view influences how events are described.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7
Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).
Winner, Quebec Writers' Federation Janet Savage Blachford Prize for Children and Young Adult Literature
Finalist, Governor General’s Literary Award for Young People’s Literature
In this sequel to the award-winning A Boy Is Not a Bird, a boy is exiled to Siberia during World War II. Based on a true story.
Torn from his home in Eastern Europe, with his father imprisoned in a Siberian gulag, twelve-year-old Natt finds himself stranded with other deportees in a schoolyard in Novosibirsk. And he is about to discover that life can indeed get worse than the horrific two months he and his mother have spent being transported on a bug-infested livestock train. He needs to write to his best friend, Max, but he knows the Soviet police reads everyone’s mail. So Natt decides to write in code, and his letters are a lifeline, even though he never knows whether Max will receive them.
Every day becomes a question of survival, and where they might be shunted to next. When his mother is falsely arrested for stealing potatoes, Natt is truly on his own and must learn how to live the uncertain life of an exile. Practice being invisible as a ghost, change your name and identity if you have to, watch out for spies, and never draw the attention of the authorities.
Even then, he will need luck on his side if he is ever going to be reunited with his family.
Key Text Features
author's note
Illustrations
map
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3
Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3
Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.6
Describe how a narrator's or speaker's point of view influences how events are described.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7
Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).
| Published By | Groundwood Books Ltd — Sep 1, 2021 |
| Specifications | 248 pages | 5 in x 7.5 in |
| Keywords | CC Literature Key Ideas and Details; CC Literature Craft and Structure; CC Literature Integration of Knowledge and Ideas; grade 4; grade 5; grade 6; historical fiction; middle grade fiction; author's note; illustrations; map; award winning author; award-winning author; based on a true story; Jewish books for kids; |
|
Supporting Resources
(select item to download) |
Excerpt |
| Written By |
EDEET RAVEL is an award-winning author of books for both young readers and adults. Her YA novel, Held, was nominated for the CLA Young Adult Book Award and the Arthur Ellis Crime Award, and her YA novel, The Saver, has been adapted for film and received awards around the world. Her novels for adults have won the Hugh MacLennan Prize and the Jewish Book Award and have been nominated for the Governor General’s Award and the Giller Prize. Edeet was born on an Israeli kibbutz and holds a PhD in Jewish Studies from McGill University. |
| Written By |
|
EDEET RAVEL is an award-winning author of books for both young readers and adults. Her YA novel, Held, was nominated for the CLA Young Adult Book Award and the Arthur Ellis Crime Award, and her YA novel, The Saver, has been adapted for film and received awards around the world. Her novels for adults have won the Hugh MacLennan Prize and the Jewish Book Award and have been nominated for the Governor General’s Award and the Giller Prize. Edeet was born on an Israeli kibbutz and holds a PhD in Jewish Studies from McGill University. |
| Audience | ages 9 to 12 / grades 4 to 7 |
| Reading Levels |
Fountas & Pinnel Text Level X
Guided Reading X |
| Key Text Features | author's note; Illustrations; map |
| Common Core |
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.4 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.6 |
Winner, Quebec Writers' Federation Janet Savage Blachford Prize for Children's and Young Adult Literature, 2023
Short-listed, Governor General's Literary Awards, Young People's Literature — Text, 2022
Short-listed, Hackmatack Award, 2022
Commended, Canadian Children’s Book Centre, Best Books for Kids and Teens, 2022
A strikingly jaunty, present-tense account of suffering and dislocation.
” —Wall Street JournalA suspenseful, heartwarming read.
” —Toronto StarAn inspiring tale of survival which successfully brings an important forgotten piece of history to life.
” —CM: Canadian Review of MaterialsRavel’s novel offers a compelling picture of life in the U.S.S.R. under the reign of Stalin and of one family’s extraordinary adventures in surviving its depredations.
” —BooklistA compelling read.
” —Montreal Review of BooksUtterly compelling and realistic … unforgettable.
” —Jewish Book CouncilAlthough his story is sorrowful, Natt teaches us that resilience and kindness can still be a choice.
” —Calgary HeraldThought provoking.
” —Cloud Lake Literary