Social issues: war & conflict issues (Children’s / Teenage) – The Bell Bookshop

Home for Grace

Emma — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

A powerful and compassionate introduction to homelessness, and the need for kindness, understanding and friendship.No one knows who Grace is. One day, she appeared in a shop doorway in a sleeping bag, with a cat called Luna, surrounded by strange things. When Jess and her mum strike up a friendship with Grace, Jess has questions: why did she leave her home? Does she have enough to eat? And what happens when the cold weather comes?’Compassionate and warm, with charming illustrations’ The Bookseller

An echo in the city

Emma — Thu, 17 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Falling in love was never part of the plan. A stunning YA romance set against the backdrop of the 2019 Hong Kong protests.

‘Read this; you’ll walk away changed.‘ Grace D. Li, New York Times bestselling author of Portrait of a Thief

SUMMER, 2019

When Phoenix attends a protest rally with her older brother, it ignites a fire in her she didn’t know she had. The island city she loves is disappearing and she’s determined to capture the moment with her camera.

Kai never wanted to be a policeman. But when his mother died, his estranged father enrolled him in the Academy. A chance encounter with a group of student protestors offers him a way to earn his father’s approval once and for all: by going undercover and infiltrating their network.

That night, Phoenix and Kai accidentally swap phones and sparks fly, drawing them together even as they stand on different sides of the struggle. But when love is built on a lie, what chance does it have to survive?

‘I could not put it down and haven’t stopped thinking about it since I finished. A must read.‘ Susan Lee, author of Seoulmates

‘An honest and searing portrait of the Hong Kong protests.’ Axie Oh, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

To the other side

Emma — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

‘A thoughtful, profound, important book’ Irish Independent
‘A realistic but hopeful look at two children’s emigration’ Publishers Weekly

Powerful and timely, To The Other Side explores the journey of two young refugee children in search of safety. Perfect for opening up conversations about conflict and war, encouraging empathy and understanding.

A young boy and his older sister have left home to play a game. To win, she tells him, they must travel across endless lands together and make it to the finish line.

Each child imagines what might be waiting for them across the border: A spotted dog? Ice cream! Or maybe a new school. But the journey is difficult, and the monsters are more real than they imagined.

And when it no longer feels like a game, the two children must still find a way to forge ahead, and reach the other side.

A stunning, symbolic and emotionally rich picture book about the spirit and strength it takes to leave your home behind. Beautifully brought to life by author-illustrator Erika Meza.

Praise
‘One of the best picture books I’ve read in recent memory’ Steve Antony
‘Perceptive and exquisitely illustrated’ Flavia Z. Drago
‘Beautiful. Beautifully illustrated. Beautifully told’ Jarvis
‘An incredible book’ Mark Bradley
‘Simply impeccable’ Steven Lenton
‘An instant classic’ Celine Kiernan

White bird

Emma — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

From the bestselling author of Wonder comes White Bird: now a major film starring Ariella Glaser, Orlando Schwerdt, Bryce Gheisar, Helen Mirren and Gillian Anderson.

Sara Blum lives an idyllic life. But her world comes crashing down when the Nazi occupation arrives in her small French town, separating her from her parents and forcing the young Jewish girl into hiding. Sara’s classmate Julien and his family will risk everything to ensure her survival, and together, Sara and Julien manage to find beauty in a secret world of their creation.

Originally published as a graphic novel, and featuring characters from the multi-million-copy-bestselling phenomenon Wonder, Sara and Julien’s powerful, heartbreaking and timeless story is told here for the first time as a novel, and shows the power of kindness to change hearts, build bridges, and even save lives in the darkest of times.

Discover more from the World of Wonder:

White Bird, the original graphic novel
Auggie & Me
365 Days of Wonder
We’re All Wonders

And read more from R. J. Palacio with Pony, an unforgettable new story!

Lift-the-flap questions and answers about refugees

Emma — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

With simple, direct questions, thoughtful, compassionate answers and stunning illustrations by the Ukrainian artist Oksana Drachkovska, this book explores what it really means to be a refugee. Written with advice from the Refugee Council and drawing on conversations with refugees and aid workers from around the world, the questions cover all stages of a refugee’s journey, from fleeing danger and embarking on hazardous journeys, to seeking asylum and struggling to find a new place to call home. The language and scenes have been carefully considered to be appropriate for younger children, providing an extremely useful educational tool for families and schools.

Operation Banana

Emma — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000

As World War ll drags on, Susan sets out on a mission to cheer up her mum in this heartwarming wartime tale from award-winning historical fiction writer Tony Bradman.

Susan is worried about her mum. She’s struggling with long hours at her job in the factory and it’s a long time since they’ve heard from Susan’s dad, who’s on the front line in North Africa. Everything is in short supply in London, but Susan decides she’s going to cheer her mum up by getting her a treat, and what could be more rare at that time than a sweet, delicious banana? But what lengths will Susan have to go to find one? Let Operation Banana commence!

Children of the Stone City

Emma — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

A thrilling, resonant and inspiring novel about justice, privilege and the power of the young to strive for change.

Set in a world where Adam and Leila and their friend Zak live as Nons under the Permitted ruling class. Then, when Adam and Leila’s father dies unexpectedly, their mother faces losing her permit to live in the Stone City with deportation to where she was born. Before music-loving Adam can implement his plan to save Mama, Zak is arrested for a bold prank that goes wrong, with far-reaching repercussions for them all . . .

The eagerly awaited new children’s book comes from award-winning author Beverley Naidoo, winner of the Carnegie Medal for The Other Side of Truth. Beverley’s first novel, Journey to Jo’burg, has never been out of print in the UK and US since its publication in 1985. It now appears in the HarperCollins Modern Classics list and is frequently read in schools worldwide.

The general

Emma — Sun, 01 Sep 2013 00:00:00 +0000

A new edition of Michael Foreman’s glorious anti-war picture book, featuring a message from the author and illustrator reflecting on the book’s enduring relevance now and then.There was once a general who wished to be famous and rule all the land…One day he fell off his horse and landed on the soft grass. It smelled so sweet that he decided to lay there for a while and enjoy the warm sunshine. He saw squirrels, rabbits and hedgehogs and walked through a field of beautiful flowers. From that day on he vowed never again to march his armies across the land and to change the world around him into one of peace and beauty, for which he became the most famous general of all. Michael Foreman OBE, one of the UK’s best-loved and most prolific creators of children’s books, illustrated The General, his first picture book, in 1961. Now, over sixty years later, it has been reproduced in all its glory, featuring new endnotes from the author and illustrator to bring this well-loved and important story to a new generation of readers.

The Ministry of Unladylike Activity

Emma — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The start of a thrilling new Second World War mystery series from the number-one-bestselling and multi-award-winning author of Murder Most Unladylike.

‘Superb’ Observer

‘Meticulous and sharp’ Guardian

‘Engaging . . . You will make the journey with a spring in your step’ The Times

‘Robin Stevens is Agatha Christie for children’ Katherine Rundell on the Murder Most Unladylike series

1940. Britain is at war, and a secret arm of the British government called the Ministry of Unladylike Activity is training up spies.

Enter May Wong: courageous, stubborn, and desperate to help end the war so that she can go home to Hong Kong (and leave her annoying school, Deepdean, behind forever). May knows that she would make the perfect spy. After all, grown-ups always underestimate children like her.

When May and her friend Eric are turned away by the Ministry, they take matters into their own hands. Masquerading as evacuees, they travel to Elysium Hall, home to the wealthy Verey family – including snobby, dramatic Nuala. They suspect that one of the Vereys is passing information to Germany. If they can prove it, the Ministry will have to take them on.

But there are more secrets at Elysium Hall than May or Eric could ever have imagined.

And then someone is murdered…

‘Spirited and fun . . . A must for young murder mystery fans’ Bookseller