The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle Synopsis
Reema runs to remember the life she left behind in Syria. Caylin runs to find what she's lost. Under the grey Glasgow skies, twelve-year-old refugee Reema is struggling to find her place in a new country, with a new language and without her brother. But she isn't the only one feeling lost. Her Glasgwegian neighbour Caylin is lonely and lashing out. When they discover an injured fox and her cubs hiding on their estate, the girls form a wary friendship. And they are more alike than they could have imagined: they both love to run. As Reema and Caylin learn to believe again, in themselves and in others, they find friendship, freedom and the discovery that home isn't a place, it's the people you love. Heartfelt and full of hope, The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle is an uplifting story about the power of friendship and belonging. Inspired by her work with young asylum seekers, debut novelist Victoria Williamson's stunning story of displacement and discovery will speak to anyone who has ever asked 'where do I belong?'
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781782504900 |
| Publication date: |
19th April 2018 |
| Author: |
Victoria Williamson |
| Publisher: |
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
243 pages |
| Series: |
Kelpies |
| Suitable For: |
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Victoria Williamson Press Reviews
'A really nice story of friendship, belonging, freedom, and hope. Very well done.' Reading by the Pond
'Williamson allows readers to quickly relate to both white Glaswegian Caylin and Syrian-immigrant Reema, seeing in them reflections of the many problems children face around the world today. Her writing is culturally sensitive [...] With her two characters, Williamson movingly makes it clear that working-class solidarity traverses borders, race, ethnicity, and religion.' (Fiction. 10-15) -- Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
'This story is a delightfully nuanced, diverse, thoughtful and even fun/cute story of friendship and learning to be a good person. The ending works with the rest of the feel-good story. Really great for anyone who loves a great story of friendship. Youth Services Book Review, starred review
'I was really impressed with this novel and taken on quite an emotional ride throughout the course of it. [This] is a story of friendship and of the healing that it can bring and it is definitely one worth reading.' NetGalley Reviewer
'Compelling and beautiful.' The Book Search, blog
'Relevant, moving and quite extraordinary.' Lucy Coates, author of the Beasts of Olympus series
'A touching, thought-provoking adventure.' The Bookseller
'Beautifully written, touching and inspiring.' Nikki Sheehan, twice-nominated Carnegie author of Swan Boy and Goodnight, Boy
'An essential read in today's political climate. Lu Hersey, Mslexia Children's Book Award-winning author of Deep Water
'A wonderful melding of cultures -- beautiful.' Claire McFall, twice winner of the Scottish Teen Book Award for Ferryman and Black Cairn Point
'A well-crafted, sensitively drawn debut.' Rachel Hamilton, author of Louie Lets Loose
'I can't imagine a more important or inspiring message to convey in a book right now.' Eloise Williams, author of Gaslight, 2017 Wales Arts Review's Children's Book of the Year
'This is a beautiful story... I was totally captivated... I just loved it and it needs to be in every primary and secondary school library.' Book Lover Jo, book blogger
'[A] touching story of hope and friendship... an inspiring and moving debut novel which I would recommend for readers of 9+.' Armadillo
Difficult themes (war, death, bigotry, alcoholism, bullying) are treated honestly, in a manner appropriate for the... target age (10-12). It's a moving story told in alternating perspectives... Monika Durbin, Edelweiss
'An inherently entertaining and compelling read from first page to last, 'The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to elementary school and community library General Fiction collections for young readers ages 10 to 12, Midwest Book Review
'An exciting story about new families, new friends and new starts. It shows that home can mean lots of different things to different people. Scoop magazine
'The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle is moving and life-affirming and full of hope and friendship. I loved it. Reema and Caylin are nuanced, believable lead characters who you root for from the start. Get Kids into Books blog
About Victoria Williamson
Victoria Williamson is an award-winning children’s author and primary school teacher from Scotland. After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, she set out on her own real-life adventures and taught children and trained teachers in Malawi, Cameroon, and China and worked with children with additional support needs in the UK. She previously volunteered as a reading tutor with The Book Bus charity in Zambia and is now a Patron of Reading with CharChar Literacy to promote early years phonics teaching in Malawi.
Victoria is passionate about creating inclusive worlds in her novels where all children can see themselves reflected. Her books have won the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award in 2020/2021, have been shortlisted for the James Reckitt Hull Children’s Book Award in 2021, the Trinity Schools Book Award in 2021, the Yaldi Glasgow School Libraries’ Book Award in 2023, and have also been longlisted for the Branford Boase Prize and Waterstones Children’s Prize.
More About Victoria Williamson
