LoveReading4Kids Says
Winner of the UKLA Book Awards 2020
Sami gets by in Boston on the money his grandfather makes on the street playing his rehab. When the instrument is stolen, Sami needs to find $700 to get it back. All he has is a man United key ring. It’s only going to be possible if Sami is prepared to accept help. This is a great book for readers not quite ready for YA fiction. It is raw, relevant but full of hope.
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The Eleventh Trade Synopsis
From debut author Alyssa Hollingsworth comes a moving middle-grade story about living with fear, being a friend, and finding a new place to call home.
They say you can't get something for nothing, but nothing is all Sami has. When his grandfather's most-prized possession--a traditional Afghan instrument called a rebab--is stolen, Sami resolves to get it back. He finds it at a music store, but it costs $700, and Sami doesn't have even one penny. What he does have is a keychain that has caught the eye of his classmate. If he trades the keychain for something more valuable, could he keep trading until he has $700? Sami is about to find out.
The Eleventh Trade is both a classic middle school story and a story about being a refugee. Like Katherine Applegate, author of
Wishtree, Alyssa Hollingsworth tackles a big issue with a light touch.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781250211460 |
| Publication date: |
8th September 2020 |
| Author: |
Alyssa Hollingsworth |
| Publisher: |
Square Fish |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
320 pages |
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Alyssa Hollingsworth Press Reviews
Both a quest story and a friendship story, this book brings to life the traumatic reality refugee children experience in a world filled with borders and walls. - Kirkus Review
A heartwarming story of life as a refugee, about friendship, overcoming tragedy, and an exciting quest. A classic book relevant to the events in the world today.- Jess Butterworth, author of Running on the Roof of the World
When we write stories about cultures other than our own, we listen to people with the life experience. Alyssa Hollingsworth has done more than that - she has lived alongside and befriended people who have shared their stories. I wasn't just introduced to Sami. I was introduced to a whole culture...Readers will cheer Sami on in his quest and cry with him when he shares his worst experiences. A true read for empathy and a great story of our times - Book Murmuration
This book is thoughtful and poignant, important without ever losing sight of hope ... It's so packed with themes and questions that would also make it a fantastic class book for schools ... It's an incredible debut, and I hope, a future children's classic - Phonetic Mangoes
I love this book. It is simply written but the genius of it comes in the topic and how it draws children (especially boys) into the story through commonality with the protagonist, and then transports them into a different world ... It's a fantastic choice for helping children who are stuck in rut to read more widely ... A story of survival, love and understanding. By the time I got to the middle, I couldn't put it down - Just Imagine
Vibrant characters and a lively narrative draw the reader straight into this story - Inis Reading Guide
A powerful, compassionate story ... if you're looking for a story filled with kindness and compassion to share with Palacio's Wonder, or Zephaniah's Refugee Boy, this is the book for you. - Happiful magazine
Crosses different cultures and shows that people are people, whatever their culture. We particularly like the glossary of Pashto and Afghan phrases! - Creative Steps
About Alyssa Hollingsworth
Alyssa Hollingsworth is American and The Invisible Boy is her second novel. Her first novel, The Eleventh Trade was inspired by a trip she took to Afghanistan with an NGO to spend time with her sister and the Afghan people she works with. Alyssa wrote an award-winning essay about that experience and continues to work with refugees in the USA, helping them to adjust to their new lives. Alyssa is currently living in Bath where is she is taking a PhD in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University.
Of The Eleventh Trade, Alyssa says, "Sami's tale was inspired by the Afghans I met in Afghanistan, my older sister's nine years of NGO work in-country, and by the attack at the American charity Roots of Peace in March 2014. Unlike Sami's parents, my sister made it out alive. But I can never forget what it felt like to see a picture of the bombed-out house, printed in Time magazine. The Eleventh Trade is an attempt to give voice to the victims of war who continue to struggle with hope and healing even after they are 'safe'."
More About Alyssa Hollingsworth
