The Ones that Disappeared by Zana Fraillon

By turns harrowing, heart-wrenching, and magical, this is an incredibly powerful - 

and incredibly important - novel. Love Reading4Kids

The power of this story is in Fraillion’s characters, the emotion in her words weaves the simplest of stories – escape and hope. Her writing is tender, fragile almost, as Esra, Isa and Miran strive to stay alive in captivity to escape and find their way home. Reading Time

"My name is Esra Merkes. I am eleven years old. The tattoo on my arm says I belong to Him, Orlando Perel. It says Snakeskins are my family for life. It says I am owned."

Three young kids have been captured and are living as slaves under a house where they tend to a drug crop. Their families were promised the new country would provide education and light duties but all these were lies. 

There are four voices who tell this story. Esra, Miran and young Isa and later Esra and Isa meet Skeet. The kids do escape from captivity, but Miran is 'captured'. In fact, he is actually taken to hospital. Esra and Isa are on the run because their captor has told dreadful stories of the way the gang hunts kids down. Esra is determined to find Miran so all three can try to make their way back home. You might think Miran is safe because he is in the hospital but in several chilling scenes, we read that someone disguised as a nurse is poisoning him. Esra and Isa find a cave where they shelter, and this is where Skeet finds them. He offers to help with their quest to find Miran, but this involves moving along tunnels under the city. These scenes are so powerful I felt desperately claustrophobic as the kids crawl through the never-ending labyrinth of dangerous tunnels and then it rains and water fills the spaces. These kids are in an incredibly dangerous situation and a race against time. 

It did take me a few days to read The Ones that Disappeared because I kept having to emerge from the horrific scenes and take a break 'back in the real world'. 

Here are a couple of text quotes:

"We drank the puddles from the floor and scooped what we could into the water bottles to ration. And when that ran dry, we sucked up water from the toilet. But the toilet must be connected to the sprinklers because it won't fill back up. It's almost empty, and now Miran and I won't drink at all. Just a sip when the thirst gets this bad. ... We heard the truck arrive. Heard the footsteps in the hallway, the scratch of metal in the lock. And when the door opened at the top of the stairs ... he looked at us, his eyes turning hard and his hands shaking anger and fear ... and we saw our fate written there in his eyes."

"It's time for your medicine,' she tells him, taking four large pills from a container in her pocket. She get him a glass of water and waits while he swallows the pills. She doesn't write on his chart or feel for his pulse like the other nurse does. ... Miran is already asleep when the nurse scratches at her wrist, pushing her cardigan high enough to hint at the tattoo inked black on her arm. A tattoo which matches Miran's own, of a snake, curled around the letters OP."

I have said this in a previous post - we are SO lucky to have a writer like Zana Fraillon here in Australia.

Bookseller blurb: Around the world, millions of people - including many children - are victims of human trafficking. These modern-day slaves often go unseen even in our own cities and towns, their voices silent and their stories untold. In this incredible book, Zana Fraillon imagines the story of three such children, Esra, Miran and Isa. The result is powerful, heartbreaking and unforgettable. Esra, Miran and Isa work for the Snakeskin gang, tending to plants in the dark and airless basement of a house they are not allowed to leave. They've been told that they belong to the Snakeskins, but Esra knows that she belongs to no one - and she is determined to find freedom. 

AWARDS

• NSW Premiers Literary Awards winner
• CBCA Notable 2018
• Carnegie Medal Nominee
• Prime Minister's Literary Award shortlist
• UK CrimeFest award Shortlist

This is a book that gives a powerful voice to those who have no power in a world that should care far, far more than it does about those forced to work as slaves in our towns, our cities and in the countryside. They are all around us, unnoticed, uncared for and voiceless. Zana Fraillon has given them a voice. Now those with the power to effect change need to listen. Crime Review UK

The Ones that Disappeared chilled me to the bone because it was so real, but it opened up a world I needed to see. Although I saw between the quiet spaces where the hope offered in this story might not exist for many, I needed that light touch to see the narrative through to the end. My hope is that tens of thousands read The Ones that Disappeared and in doing so, a ground swell of action builds to fight for the millions lost to this very frightening, very real world. Kids' Book Review

The Ones That Disappeared is an unhurried but endlessly gripping tale, told with heart and affection, encompassing both light and shade. Skeet’s kindness helps Esra to regain her humanity and redirect her on a happier path, while the spectre of human trafficking, both in the novel and in the real world, is haunting throughout. Wisely, Fraillon avoids becoming too specific about the nation her story takes place in and this ambiguity gives the impression the story is meant to represent all child slaves in all corners of the world. Right Now Human Rights in Australia

The Ones that Disappeared is most certainly a Young Adult book. It should be put into the hands of readers who are ready for some extremely confronting issues such as modern slavery and also mature readers who can cope with strong descriptions of violence against children - but please do not let that stop you reading this book. The way the plot unfolds in tiny fragments makes for such a compelling read - you just keep turning the pages desperately hoping these kids will be rescued. 

Book Trust said: Fraillon’s style is powerful and the subject matter important, but the misery and brutality, especially in the first third of the book, makes this a harrowing read. It is best suited to older readers, unafraid to tackle difficult subjects.

Lamont books said: Zana Fraillon weaves a heart-breaking and powerful tale of the strength of the human spirit, despite all attempts to crush it. The children have unique personalities and their friendships with each other, and with the people they meet as they flee for their lives, are unforgettable. The story has a mystical element throughout, but ultimately it is a story of hope, friendship, resilience, and freedom.

There is a mysterious man in this story called The Riverman. Reviewers related this character to Skellig by David Almond.

Companion books:

Stitched Up

Flying through water

The Barnabus Project by The Fan Brothers

Deep under the city there is a sinister workshop where Perfect Pets are made. Sometimes the experiments go wrong and so, in a remote part of the laboratory, there are a series of bell jars holding the failures. Barbabus is one of the failures. 

"He was half mouse, half elephant, and he had lived in the lab as long as he could remember."

The failed pets are fed by huge scary creatures in green rubber suits. None of the "pets" have ever been outside the lab but a small cockroach tells them stories each evening of green spaces, mountains and stars. Barnabus longs to feel the grass under his feet. Barnabus lives by the credo:

"Nothing is impossible."

He is determined to escape and so he bashes into the side of his bell jar until in finally cracks under the pressure of his screams. Barnabus sets all the other Failed Projects free and they all set off to escape their underground prison. This process takes team work and hope but all twenty-two of them, plus one extra surprising friend, do find their freedom and that all important happy ending.

This is a story about identity, determination, teamwork, consumerism, and hopes and dreams.

This book was written for all the misfits, artists and dreamers out there. The Fan Brothers Facebook

Barnabus wonders:

"He wasn't fluffy enough, and his eyes were beady, but he liked himself just the way he was. And what if, after he was recycled, peanuts and cheese were no longer his favourite foods? What if his friends didn't recognise him after? What if he no longer cared about green trees and mountains lit with their own stars?"

When I first saw this in a local bookshop I knew I wanted to read it but the hardcover price was well above my book budget. Luckily this book is now available in paperback for well under AUS$20 which is wonderful for a larger format book with way more than 32 pages. This book should be added to every Primary school library - and shared widely with students and staff - it is fabulous!

The book design here is simply perfect. Take your time to linger over the front and back end papers, the title page and the final illustration on the author bio page. Think about the graph paper that is included and the paperclips. You can see inside this book here.  In this video (Moon Lane TV) you can see Eric drawing some of the characters. You could share this 19 minute video with an art class or a group of older students. And here is a video reading by Eric, Terry and Devin Fan. 

This epic tale of escape and liberation, set in a clandestine underground lab producing genetically engineered Perfect Pets, stars courageous Barnabus, half mouse, half elephant ...A heartfelt, timely allegory celebrating diversity, bravery, and solidarity.   Kirkus Star review

In the Fan brothers’ hands, the result feels like a happy amalgam of Jules Verne, Maurice Sendak, the Moomins, and Monsters, Inc. Quill and Quire

This book is a visual feast.  And the story? It is dream-like science fiction in picture book form. Jilanne Hoffmann

‘In a world built for Perfect Pets, half-mouse half-elephant Barnabus is a Failed Project who dreams of freedom. Shaun Tan meets “Toy Story”’ — The Bookseller

Awards:

• 2020 Governor General's Award for Young People’s Literature – Illustrated Books.
• The 2021 TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award.
• Nominated for the 2022 Kate Greenaway Medal.
• The 2021 Le Prix Ficelle, category age 6-7.
• 2021 Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice Awards, Shining Willow Award.
• 2020-2021 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award.
• 2021-2022 Vermont Red Clover Book Award.
• The 2022 Washington Children’s Choice Picture Book Award.
• The Surrey School’s Picture Book of the Year (for primary readers).
• A Kirkus “Best Books of 2020.”
• Chicago Public Library “Best Books of 2020.”
• 2021 Bologna Book Fair Finalist.

I just finished reading a novel for older readers -  They Threw us Away by Daniel Kraus. It was a harrowing book to read but it has a similar theme of rejected toys, identity, value and consumerism. Thankfully The Barnabus Project has a joyous happy ending. I need to read the two sequels to They Thew us Away in the hope this more complex senior novel also has a "they all lived happily ever after" conclusion. I will talk about They Threw us Away over the coming days. 

This book reminded me of The Adventures of Beekle. 

I guess you could link The Barnabus Project with the Toy Story movie series. I would also look for these:

Ruby and Little Joe

Who are you Stripy Horse?

Eight

Teddy & Co. 

If you are reading The Barbabus Project book with an older child try to find Boot which is also about a failed project - in this case a robot. 

Boot

People might hear you by Robin Klein

Friday Old Favourite

Publisher blurb: "When her aunt marries the forbidding Mr Tyrell, Frances is introduced to the mysterious temple, with its strange, fanatical beliefs. At first she trustingly accepts her aunt's new life, and tries to be a 'worthy' member of the temple. But as she uncovers its sinister secrets she realises she has no escape . . ."

Frances is told her aunt is getting married, this is a huge surprise. Then she is told she will be leaving her school. After the "marriage" Frances and Aunt Loris move in to the house of the strange Finley Tyrell and his almost silent daughters. No one is allowed to know they live in the house. Very late at night the girls are allowed out to run around the block for exercise but this is closely supervised and quite terrifying. Meals are silent and lessons are from old books and are mostly about preparations for the end of the world or religious indoctrination. Frances has no idea what is going on but Robin Klein gives her reader hints through her word choices. I have highlighted these for emphasis:

"The temple was a building made of grey concrete slabs, unattractive and intimidating. Heavy metal screen meshed the windows facing the street. ... the only garden was a fringe of thick, fleshy grass blades which crept up all around the foundations."

"Her own shoes made a clatter, disturbing the quietness of the house."

"He didn't sound grouchy with her, but his personality was so strong that she didn't care to argue. He didn't even look at her to make sure she was doing as she was told, but seemed to take it for granted that he would be obeyed."

"Frances realised suddenly that Claire's speech was remarkably free from slang. She spoke as no other child Frances had ever heard, almost like a very precise adult. There was no light and shade in her voice, and no liveliness."

"If we ever had to fight for what we believe in, we'd be able to lock ourselves in and survive for a long time. And in the war, when everything else is in ruins, this house will be spared, because it belongs to the temple and has divine protection."

"There was a heavy screen door that also had to be unlocked from the inside, and then cold, dark air slashed in at them, causing Frances to plunge her hands deep into her coat pockets. There was a porch; a small yard rippling with wind-tossed, spiky bushes... "

People might hear you was originally published in 1983. I loved this book when I first read it back in 1984 and since that time I have often recommended it to students in my school library. Re-reading it over the last few days, while the story did engross me, it didn't have quite the same emotional impact. The naivety of Frances and her constant references to her friend Kerry annoyed me a little. I would still recommend this book for mature readers aged 10+ but I no longer feel desperate to see it back in print. The ending, however, is brilliant - filled with hope but also tantalisingly unresolved.

My copy also had a very condensed and small font which made reading more difficult than it should have been. Here is a review with more plot details.

I would pair this book with Grace by Morris Gleitzman.

Starbird by Sharon King-Chai

Moon King has heard the story of the legendary Starbird. When his baby daughter is born he is determined to capture this fabled creature and gift it to his daughter. The Starbird sings to the young princess every evening but one day "she noticed a sadness colouring Starbirds voice."  The Princess sets the beautiful bird free but her father is furious. He is determined to bring Starbird back. The chase is on. Starbird travels to the jungle, into the depths of the ocean and onto the desert but the Moon King will not give up and one day Starbird is recaptured. How can this story reach that all important happy ending?

Sharon King-Chai uses the most delicious vocabulary in her sparkling book:

worthy, perilous, magnificent, befriended, descended, piercing gaze, engulfed, omnipresent, revelled.

Which cover do you like?  The top one is the new paperback edition and the second image is the hardcover version. This would be a beautiful book to share with a group of students (aged 7+) and it is also a book to share with an art teacher who is sure want to use these stunning illustrations to inspire students.

The illustration and design of this story is stunning and it stands out as a particularly special book because of it. Striking landscapes in pale colours alternate with patterned pages where animal shapes can be made out it the blank space between different designs. Silver foil detail is used to great effect throughout. There is a particular focus on skies – starry heavens, and swirling Arctic lights and pale sunsets over the mountains. Book Murmuration

This story reminded me of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale - The Emperor and the Nightingale.

When I saw Starbird at Gleebooks yesterday I immediately recognised the beautiful art of Sharon King-Chai which mesmerised me in the Julia Donaldson book Animalphabet. There are now two books in this series:

Whale in a Fishbowl by Troy Howell and Richard Jones

Looking at a whale in an aquarium causes me distress. In this book the feelings are amplified when we see the huge whale, named Wednesday, alone, trapped in a small tank, in the middle of a bustling city. Her name is Wednesday because "like the day of the week, ... was smack in the middle of everything."

In the distance Wednesday can see a tiny glimpse of blue. This causes her heart to leap but she does not know why. To see the sea, Wednesday needs to leap up in her tank. This delights the crowds. They think she is doing a wonderful trick. Leaping makes Wednesday happy but is also makes her sad. One day a small girl arrives and she communicates directly with Wednesday:

"You belong in the sea!"

Things get worse for Wednesday. She cannot sleep or eat and she no longer wants to leap but she aches to see that glimpse of blue. Finally one day, out of utter despair, she makes one final leap. What happens next will astonish and delight you.

This is a book that SHOULD be added to every school and public library collection. Here are two words from Whales in a Fishbowl that apply to the book itself - glorious and breathtaking!

Hauntingly beautiful. I love these sorts of stories for children because the story itself is clear and easily-followed, but it allows for multiple interpretations as to its meaning. Is it a lesson in believing in your dreams? Following your heart? Having the courage to explore the unknown?The Baby Bookworm Blog

Whale in a Fishbowl is a really important children’s book.It is an advocate for keeping wildlife in the wild and teaching children the importance of seeing beyond the leaps and applause to the fact that these animals should be in their own habitats and not inside the glass walls and cages that their parents pay entry fees to visit. W is for Whale

 Take a look at other books illustrated by Richard Jones. In this blog post Troy Howell talks about his book. You can see the whole book here.