posted on 02 Nov 2015

A Strange Land by Alan Gibbons

This prolific and well loved author is no stranger to writing about difficult subjects. This time he gives us the painful moral dilemma of Jack who has to make an important decision about how to survive at secondary school when presented with hard choices. It becomes clear that this is a war where sides have to be taken between joining in with 'The Blokes', the nasty gang that call the shots in the school by attacking their targets who are the black, Asian and refugee kids; or, to take a stand against them and do the right thing. He is told to collude in bullying Hassan, a recently arrived boy whose family have sought asylum in England as a result of war in Syria. Before this command, the two boys have been good friends with many shared interests at home and school including football.

The adults in this story are pretty ineffectual and there is a chilling reality in the superficial but well meaning activities organised by the teachers in order to make newcomers feel welcome at the school. The competition to make artefacts representing ' Where I am from' as a means to share family roots and build self esteem is an idea that all teachers have probably used with confidence, myself included. Their lack of awareness of the deep seated hatred of all outsiders by the gang and their followers, despite evidence of previous racist attacks, contributes to Jack's despair.

At the centre of the story is Jack's own secret that the gang is using to blackmail him. We learn that his dad accidentally killed a child in a road accident and that the resulting publicity and shame caused him to lose his self respect and make the decision to relocate the whole family to a new area. Jack is ashamed of his father despite knowing that the accident was not his fault and blames him for his reluctant initial decision to side with the bullies.

Without spoiling the story too much, Hassan rises above the spiteful destruction of his carefully crafted competition piece - a model of his village in Syria, and turns it into something much more meaningful. Along the way, Jack learns that his dad is a man of principle and their relationship is saved.

This slim volume is published by the wonderful Barrington Stoke publishing house. which is committed to producing dyslexia friendly books printed on appropriately coloured paper with well designed layout in consultation with dyslexia experts. The print is clear and interlaced with realistic black and white illustrations by Alan Brown that help to convey the awful recognisable everydayness of this story. Most importantly, this publisher seeks out stories like this that are tightly written, well paced and full of interesting plot and character. This one is an excellent example about a subject of concern that is current in schools all over the country. It presents an authentic portrayal of a young boy struggling with issues of loyalty and values as well as conveying positive detailed information about the circumstances of children who are living with the sorrowful memories of war and displacement.

 

Karen Argent

 2nd November 2015