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The Unforgotten Coat
Two refugee brothers from Mongolia are determined to fit in with their Liverpool schoolmates, but bring so much of Mongolia to Bootle that their new friend and guide, Julie, is hard-pressed to know truth from fantasy as she recollects a wonderful friendship that was abruptly ended when Chingis and his family were forced to return to Mongolia. Told with the humour, warmth and brilliance of detail which characterizes Frank Cottrell Boyce's writing, this magical and compelling story is enriched by stunning and atmospheric Polaroid photos.
103 pages, Paperback
First published August 17, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 326 reviews
April 1, 2013
I really liked the format of this book: how it was printed on "notebook paper" and included the different Polaroid pictures that Chingis took in his many different journeys. It had a nice sense of mysteriousness about it as the author fumbles her way through learning about Chingis and Yergui and tries to be a "Good Guide" for them as they try to get adjusted to school life after coming from Mongolia. Her assumptions about them--that their big fur coats are Mongolian, that they know a lot about how to survive in the wild--are ones that I as a reader willingly went along with, and so it was really intriguing in the end when so many of those are undone, and Chingis' exotic Polaroids are revealed to be simply pictures of the local landscape through his own unique perspective that "Mongolianizes" them. Discovering that the demon after Yergui is actually the British immigration system, and learning that they suddenly get deported back to where their lives are in danger, was also a sudden and somewhat shocking turn of events. Boyce does a really admirable job of painting their situation through Julie's eyes to make the book have a childish, naive air of excitement, imagination, and misunderstanding, and feel as unexpected as it did. It's especially interesting that the idea for the book was based on a real Mongolian girl in Britain who won the hearts of her class and then was suddenly deported with her family.
I like how this book assumes that much of what Chingis and Yergui do is tradition (especially Julie's obsession with getting invited into what she assumes with be their plush and lavish house with samovars), but shows that they are really in a state of flux: learning English and gaining Liverpool accents, using the Polaroid camera, learning football, and trying to learn how to fit in and be like the other boys. Julie is much more interested with learning about and presenting their culture to the class than Chingis and Yergui are, perhaps because of their immigration situation, or perhaps because they want to become more acculturated.
I like how this book assumes that much of what Chingis and Yergui do is tradition (especially Julie's obsession with getting invited into what she assumes with be their plush and lavish house with samovars), but shows that they are really in a state of flux: learning English and gaining Liverpool accents, using the Polaroid camera, learning football, and trying to learn how to fit in and be like the other boys. Julie is much more interested with learning about and presenting their culture to the class than Chingis and Yergui are, perhaps because of their immigration situation, or perhaps because they want to become more acculturated.
November 5, 2011
Chingis and Nergui appear in Bootle, England. In this tiny town where no one new ever comes and nothing happens, these two Mongolian immigrants appear, wearing huge, strange coats and acting and speaking in ways that are totally unfamiliar to the other children at the school. Chingis, the elder, gives the teacher orders and refuses to let his little brother out of his sight. He has a Polaroid camera, and pictures of Mongolia so bizarre that it seems like another planet all together. Julie, our narrator, is enchanted by them; she learns everything she can about Mongolia and gives a report on it to the class, and the boys name her their Good Guide. And Chingis and Nergui insist that there's a demon after Nergui, a demon who makes things vanish, wants to make Nergui vanish, and Julie is swept up in it, culminating in a strange, quiet afternoon when the English landscape becomes unfamiliar and Mongolia appears before their very eyes.
So, I didn't really dig this book. It has text, in the form of first-person narration, written from a grown, present day Julie looking back on those strange months with the boys. And it has photos, the Polaroids that of Chingis's, each printed on it's own page, interspersed throughout the book. And I'll tell you, maybe it's me, because Miss Peregrins Home for Unusual Children felt the same way, but it seems forced. Like Mr. Cottrell Boyce found some pictures and built a story around them. And I know that's not how it happened, because the extremely touching author's note at the end makes it clear that the story came to him first, but it's apparently not a format that works for me. I will say, I loved the author's note, and I found it rounded out the book, made it more personal and real, and much, much more touching.
So, I didn't really dig this book. It has text, in the form of first-person narration, written from a grown, present day Julie looking back on those strange months with the boys. And it has photos, the Polaroids that of Chingis's, each printed on it's own page, interspersed throughout the book. And I'll tell you, maybe it's me, because Miss Peregrins Home for Unusual Children felt the same way, but it seems forced. Like Mr. Cottrell Boyce found some pictures and built a story around them. And I know that's not how it happened, because the extremely touching author's note at the end makes it clear that the story came to him first, but it's apparently not a format that works for me. I will say, I loved the author's note, and I found it rounded out the book, made it more personal and real, and much, much more touching.
October 25, 2011
I will never be able to not give 5 stars to a great immigrant story. Period. That's my disclaimer.
Julie is your average insightful Year Six gal in Bootle, UK. She has the typical concerns you would expect from an average insightful Year Six gal--being invited over to Mimi's house after school, and getting Socky to notice her. But that all changes when two Mongolian immigrants, Chingis and 'Negrui', join her class.
Frank Cottrell Boyce is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. His previous books have dealt with larger than life opportunities (kids posing as adults and going to space, needing to spend a million pounds as fast as possible, etc.) that are hysterical, not to mention a little unbelievable--and sometimes poignant as well, but not always taking advantage of the emotional moment. This one does. It's not whimsical or fantastic, but the magic is still there. It's the magic of having your horizons widened, and of getting to know someone who's come from a different background than you. It's not necessarily a friendship story, but about how Chingis and Negrui lit up an entire class and how everyone's lives were richer for it.
(Also, the magic of technology, which, if you do not cry after turning the last page, you're just weird. At least after reading Boyce's afterword.)
This book is also unique in that it's produced like a notebook, with the text printed on loose-leaf-like paper with accompanying polaroid photos in full colour.
Julie is your average insightful Year Six gal in Bootle, UK. She has the typical concerns you would expect from an average insightful Year Six gal--being invited over to Mimi's house after school, and getting Socky to notice her. But that all changes when two Mongolian immigrants, Chingis and 'Negrui', join her class.
Frank Cottrell Boyce is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. His previous books have dealt with larger than life opportunities (kids posing as adults and going to space, needing to spend a million pounds as fast as possible, etc.) that are hysterical, not to mention a little unbelievable--and sometimes poignant as well, but not always taking advantage of the emotional moment. This one does. It's not whimsical or fantastic, but the magic is still there. It's the magic of having your horizons widened, and of getting to know someone who's come from a different background than you. It's not necessarily a friendship story, but about how Chingis and Negrui lit up an entire class and how everyone's lives were richer for it.
(Also, the magic of technology, which, if you do not cry after turning the last page, you're just weird. At least after reading Boyce's afterword.)
This book is also unique in that it's produced like a notebook, with the text printed on loose-leaf-like paper with accompanying polaroid photos in full colour.
July 11, 2011
Charming story about two Mongolian boys who transfer to a school in Liverpool and are embraced by their classmates.
August 17, 2011
Contemporary Mongolia doesn’t have all that many English language children’s novels to its name. And if you asked me to name everything I knew about Mongolia today, I’d probably find myself referring to key scenes in that recent documentary Babies more than anything else. I don’t think I would have selected author Frank Cottrell Boyce to shed any light on the country or its inhabitants. Heck, I’ll take it one step further. With books like Millions and Cosmic under his belt I wouldn’t have even thought he’d want to write a book about immigration, cultural identity, fitting in, and having your assumptions wrecked. Shows what I know because write such a book he has and the result is a svelte little novel that may be his best. The Unforgotten Coat is the kind of book you get when an author gets an original idea and works it into something memorable. This is one story kids will read and then find difficult to forget.
Julie first sees the boys on the playground during break. When the class returns inside the boys follow and suddenly there they are. Chingis and Nergui, two brothers from Mongolia. Almost immediately Chingis identifies Julie as their “Good Guide” who will show them around and tell them everything they need to know. Julie embraces her role with gusto, but as she helps the boys out she wants to know more and more about them. Where do they live? Why do they insist that Nergui is being tracked by a demon that will make him “vanish”. What’s their real story? The trouble is, the moment Julie realizes what’s going on it is far too late.
The book is great. No question. But it’s the Afterword that deserves just as much attention. In it the reader learns where Boyce got the inspiration for this story. Turns out, during the very first school visit Mr. Boyce ever did, he sat with a group of kids that included a Mongolian girl by the name of Misheel. Then one day the Immigration Authorities took her away in the night and Boyce was left with the image of Misheel’s abandoned coat. He wanted to make a documentary with the kids of going to Mongolia to return the coat but that fell through. So it was he wrote this story instead with new characters and, at its core, an abandoned coat. Again.
The best works of protest are those that don’t harangue you but softly win you over to their point of view. Boyce is not a fan of some of the actions taken by the U.K.’s immigration authorities, that’s for sure. In his Afterword he even goes so far as to say, “I do know that a country that authorizes its functionaries to snatch children from their beds in the middle of the night can’t really be called civilized.” And he could have made the characters of Chingis and Nergui adorable moppets who win your heart with a smile and a wink. He doesn’t. Chingis is demanding and Nergui isn’t far off. You do grow attached to them, but not because they’re cute or anything. If you like them it’s because you got to know them a little better, just as Julie has. So when they’re taken away you feel the shock of watching someone you know vanish. And it feels wrong.
The character of Julie is fabulous, partly because I’ve never quite encountered her situation in a book for kids before. We don’t get much of a sense of Julie’s home life in this story. What we do know is that when she runs into Chingis and Nergui she is adopted by them and settles into her role as “Good Guide” with an overabundance of gusto. I think as kids we all knew that girl that would throw herself into a project without much in the way of forethought. Her obsession with Mongolia (and the boys’ relative disassociation with it) rings true. For all that it’s a short book, Boyce is remarkably good at synthesizing a story down to its most essential elements. Extra Bonus: It’s definitely the first novel for kids I’ve encountered where the emotional punch of the ending is entirely reliant on Facebook. No lie.
Few works of fiction for kids think to make use of the skills of professional photographers. If photography is going to be a part of the narrative (say David and Ruth Ellwand’s The Mystery of the Fool and the Vanisher) then they do it themselves. Tapping fimmakers Carl Hunter and Clare Heney (who had previously been asked to make that documentary about the book’s source material) was perfect. I have a real problem with contemporary books for kids that use outdated technology (or, for that matter, fail to acknowledge ubiquitous contemporary technology). And if The Unforgotten Coat were set today then you’d probably hear me railing against its use of a Polaroid camera without acknowledging its rarity. But since the storyline takes place in the past, it makes a certain amount of sense. Hunter and Heney then proceed to take brilliant images that perfectly illustrate the text’s descriptions. A picture that at first glance appears to show chairs next to enormous trees that look like flowers? Check. Mounds of dirt that could well be mountains? Check and check. The images are all rather beautiful in their own right too, showing that you don’t have to skimp on the details in a chapter book for kids, even if it is only 112 pages. You could probably make an argument that the pictures in the book are prettier than actual Polaroids, but that’s hard to prove.
I’m fascinated by the layout of the title too. Interestingly enough, it’s been designed to resemble a notebook with the key photographs laid into it. Notebook fiction is very big these days, all thanks to the success of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Most of those books are written in the first person by a kid who recounts the highs and lows (mostly lows) of their life with sketched in cartoony pictures. The Unforgotten Coat has exchanged these sketches for Polaroids and while the first person narrator is there, most of the action takes place in the past. The result is a book that feels like it’s a part of the notebook genre, but represents a sophisticated step up.
There’s a moment at the end of the book when the now grown Julie looks at Chingis’s old coat and remarks, “I can see now that it wasn’t anything like a traditional Mongolian coat. It’s some kind of big, ancient hippie coat.” And with that, Boyce just takes a pin and pops an assumption that not only Julie made but every kid reading this book. Few authors have a way of turning you over on your head in the course of reading a children's title. Boyce can. Can and does. This is, without a doubt, one of the best little books I’ve ever read. A brilliant melding of text and image, it’s a wonderful example of what can happen when an author goes for something entirely new. Highly recommended for any kid wanting to read “a short book” as well as those looking for something a little sophisticated for the 9-12 age set. A true original.
For ages 9-12.
Julie first sees the boys on the playground during break. When the class returns inside the boys follow and suddenly there they are. Chingis and Nergui, two brothers from Mongolia. Almost immediately Chingis identifies Julie as their “Good Guide” who will show them around and tell them everything they need to know. Julie embraces her role with gusto, but as she helps the boys out she wants to know more and more about them. Where do they live? Why do they insist that Nergui is being tracked by a demon that will make him “vanish”. What’s their real story? The trouble is, the moment Julie realizes what’s going on it is far too late.
The book is great. No question. But it’s the Afterword that deserves just as much attention. In it the reader learns where Boyce got the inspiration for this story. Turns out, during the very first school visit Mr. Boyce ever did, he sat with a group of kids that included a Mongolian girl by the name of Misheel. Then one day the Immigration Authorities took her away in the night and Boyce was left with the image of Misheel’s abandoned coat. He wanted to make a documentary with the kids of going to Mongolia to return the coat but that fell through. So it was he wrote this story instead with new characters and, at its core, an abandoned coat. Again.
The best works of protest are those that don’t harangue you but softly win you over to their point of view. Boyce is not a fan of some of the actions taken by the U.K.’s immigration authorities, that’s for sure. In his Afterword he even goes so far as to say, “I do know that a country that authorizes its functionaries to snatch children from their beds in the middle of the night can’t really be called civilized.” And he could have made the characters of Chingis and Nergui adorable moppets who win your heart with a smile and a wink. He doesn’t. Chingis is demanding and Nergui isn’t far off. You do grow attached to them, but not because they’re cute or anything. If you like them it’s because you got to know them a little better, just as Julie has. So when they’re taken away you feel the shock of watching someone you know vanish. And it feels wrong.
The character of Julie is fabulous, partly because I’ve never quite encountered her situation in a book for kids before. We don’t get much of a sense of Julie’s home life in this story. What we do know is that when she runs into Chingis and Nergui she is adopted by them and settles into her role as “Good Guide” with an overabundance of gusto. I think as kids we all knew that girl that would throw herself into a project without much in the way of forethought. Her obsession with Mongolia (and the boys’ relative disassociation with it) rings true. For all that it’s a short book, Boyce is remarkably good at synthesizing a story down to its most essential elements. Extra Bonus: It’s definitely the first novel for kids I’ve encountered where the emotional punch of the ending is entirely reliant on Facebook. No lie.
Few works of fiction for kids think to make use of the skills of professional photographers. If photography is going to be a part of the narrative (say David and Ruth Ellwand’s The Mystery of the Fool and the Vanisher) then they do it themselves. Tapping fimmakers Carl Hunter and Clare Heney (who had previously been asked to make that documentary about the book’s source material) was perfect. I have a real problem with contemporary books for kids that use outdated technology (or, for that matter, fail to acknowledge ubiquitous contemporary technology). And if The Unforgotten Coat were set today then you’d probably hear me railing against its use of a Polaroid camera without acknowledging its rarity. But since the storyline takes place in the past, it makes a certain amount of sense. Hunter and Heney then proceed to take brilliant images that perfectly illustrate the text’s descriptions. A picture that at first glance appears to show chairs next to enormous trees that look like flowers? Check. Mounds of dirt that could well be mountains? Check and check. The images are all rather beautiful in their own right too, showing that you don’t have to skimp on the details in a chapter book for kids, even if it is only 112 pages. You could probably make an argument that the pictures in the book are prettier than actual Polaroids, but that’s hard to prove.
I’m fascinated by the layout of the title too. Interestingly enough, it’s been designed to resemble a notebook with the key photographs laid into it. Notebook fiction is very big these days, all thanks to the success of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Most of those books are written in the first person by a kid who recounts the highs and lows (mostly lows) of their life with sketched in cartoony pictures. The Unforgotten Coat has exchanged these sketches for Polaroids and while the first person narrator is there, most of the action takes place in the past. The result is a book that feels like it’s a part of the notebook genre, but represents a sophisticated step up.
There’s a moment at the end of the book when the now grown Julie looks at Chingis’s old coat and remarks, “I can see now that it wasn’t anything like a traditional Mongolian coat. It’s some kind of big, ancient hippie coat.” And with that, Boyce just takes a pin and pops an assumption that not only Julie made but every kid reading this book. Few authors have a way of turning you over on your head in the course of reading a children's title. Boyce can. Can and does. This is, without a doubt, one of the best little books I’ve ever read. A brilliant melding of text and image, it’s a wonderful example of what can happen when an author goes for something entirely new. Highly recommended for any kid wanting to read “a short book” as well as those looking for something a little sophisticated for the 9-12 age set. A true original.
For ages 9-12.
January 6, 2013
I very much enjoyed this book and think it would be a good choice for guided reading for Year 4-6. It’s a story about two Mongolian brothers told through the eyes of their friend, Julie. When Chingis and his little brother Nergui arrive at Julie’s school they arouse a lot of interest with their exotic-looking afghan coats, tales of eagle-training and horses out on the vast Mongolian steppe. With the help of Julie, their ‘good guide’, the brothers soon fit in to school life and the three become good friends. However, Chingis and Nergui are afraid that a demon is chasing them and they enlist Julie’s help in outwitting it.
This book explores the refugee experience as well as issues of identity and an unfamiliar culture in a realistic and accessible way. The setting - Bootle in Merseyside - gives it a down-to-earth feel and the characters are both believable and likable. The text is supported by Polaroid illustrations, which works really well in contributing an additional layer of sense of place and provides a nice twist at the end.
I would certainly recommend this book to confident readers of 8 and over to read independently, but it would also make a good class read as it offers all kinds of opportunities to apply it to other areas of the curriculum, such as geography, PHSE, art and drama.
This book explores the refugee experience as well as issues of identity and an unfamiliar culture in a realistic and accessible way. The setting - Bootle in Merseyside - gives it a down-to-earth feel and the characters are both believable and likable. The text is supported by Polaroid illustrations, which works really well in contributing an additional layer of sense of place and provides a nice twist at the end.
I would certainly recommend this book to confident readers of 8 and over to read independently, but it would also make a good class read as it offers all kinds of opportunities to apply it to other areas of the curriculum, such as geography, PHSE, art and drama.
January 16, 2012
Frank Cottrell Boyce is starting to remind me of Avi – his books are so diverse, yet all wonderful in their own way. I absolutely adored Cosmic, and this quick read about two young Mongolian refugees who arrive in a small British town near Liverpool did not disappoint. It’s told as a flashback from the point of view of Julie, a Year 6 student who takes the boys under her wing and becomes their “good guide.” Julie becomes fond of and intrigued by the two boys, but doesn’t fully understand their family situation or immigration status until it’s somewhat too late. Parts of the story are funny and parts are poignant and almost heart wrenching. I loved the physical look of the book – the pages look like lined notebook paper, and the story is punctuated by numerous Polaroid camera photos, which add immeasurably to the power and symbolism of the story. The ending—which takes place when Julie is an adult—is very satisfying. Don’t miss the author’s Afterword in which he explains the motivation for the story, which is based on the experiences of an actual young Mongolian girl.
May 10, 2012
Okay, maybe calling this a "classic" as that's what five stars means to Goodreads is a stretch but I really liked this kids book. I happened to be looking for some other books to bring in for the pre-teen kids I work with to look at. The fact that it was written by Frank Cottrell Boyce is what caught my eye. He's a fantastic screen writer known for his collaborations with director Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People, e.g.). I opened the book up and noticed that it used Polaroid pictures as illustrations and I thought well that's right down my alley. What followed was a really simple and very sweet story about a girl who finds some deeper meaning to her life when she becomes a "good guide" to a couple of Mongolian refugees one of whom believes a demon has been out to get him and the other who uses a Polaroid camera to remember his homeland and culture. It even made me tear up a bit in the end...which makes my pretty dorky. In fact some ideas in the book resemble a photography lesson plan that I have been trying to develop for some time and so I would like to use this book to develop it more. Cottrell Boyce also wrote the movie and book "Millions" which is now on my Netflix qeue.
November 13, 2011
Frank Cottrell Boyce's books are so sweet that I'm pretty sure they kill people. And I meant that in the nicest way. Every book I've read of his has been very good. Boyce writes with a perfect voice for his young narrators - I kind of forget it's a grown man with 7 kids who is really writing it.
This book is about two Mongolian brothers who come to a small British town and choose a girl from their class to be their Good Guide (to show them around, show them the ropes, etc). The class is mesmerized by the older brother Chingis and his polaroids and stories of Mongolia. The brothers think a demon is after them, and they have to outwit him so that they will be safe. Sprinkled throughout are the polaroid pictures that Chingis takes, which were wonderful.
This book took all of an hour (if that) to read, and it's so, so worth it. I want to read it to my big girl because I loved the kindness and imagination of the characters. Just a really good book. Have I said that enough? Really really good. That ought to do it.
This book is about two Mongolian brothers who come to a small British town and choose a girl from their class to be their Good Guide (to show them around, show them the ropes, etc). The class is mesmerized by the older brother Chingis and his polaroids and stories of Mongolia. The brothers think a demon is after them, and they have to outwit him so that they will be safe. Sprinkled throughout are the polaroid pictures that Chingis takes, which were wonderful.
This book took all of an hour (if that) to read, and it's so, so worth it. I want to read it to my big girl because I loved the kindness and imagination of the characters. Just a really good book. Have I said that enough? Really really good. That ought to do it.
May 19, 2015
This powerful and haunting story revolved around the sudden appearance of Chingis and his younger brother, immigrants to England from Mongolia. The book follows classmate Julie as finds herself suddenly their advocate. Told at times from her grown-up perspective, the story quickly becomes more complex as Julie tried to explain the boys' suspicious behavior. An interesting take on modern immigration and refugees, as well as the complexity of governmental responses.
November 25, 2012
So pleased that I finally got round to read this unique book - prompted by the enthusiasm of a Y9 boy who said it was great. Along with the Olympics opening ceremony I think it confirms Frank Cottrell Boyce as a true genius. This attractively presented story is warm, funny and highly informative without being sentimental or preachy. It would be great as a class reader - ideal for Y6/Y7.
January 22, 2015
I got this book in primary school but have only just read it . I love this books because of the way it's set out , in my edition anyway, with pictures and thick lovely pages and big scribbly writing . This book felt so human and was such a good quick read and even though quite strange was a lovely book wrote perfectly from a child's prospective .
October 26, 2012
A really sweet, sad, funny book. The writing was thoughtful and the story was interesting with a really unique outlook. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would and the fact that it’s inspired by a real story makes it even more touching.
April 10, 2015
Every child should read The Unforgotten Coat! The story itself is fascinating and Frank Cottrell Boyce nails the characterizations of Julie and Chingis. The photographs that accompany the story are especially tantalizing. Highly recommended.
August 29, 2021
An unusual, first person, narrative, told from the perspective of a grown-up (Julie) reflecting on her final months at primary school. A series of Polaroid pictures are weaved into the story, as Julie flicks through a long lost photo album at the back of her old class. The fictional story (loosely inspired by real events) follows 11-year-old Julie and her classmates welcoming two Mongolian brothers into their class. The older brother (Chingis) has a photo album of Mongolia, but some of the pictures seem too close to home…
I found the storyline to be relatable and, at time, humorous. However, the story’s climax seems to draw the book to a close too suddenly and certain events seem far fetched, including the idea of a coat remaining in lost property for over a decade. Nonetheless, there are many thought provoking moments and areas for discussion. For example the brothers repeatedly claim that “demons” keep making people disappear, by the end of the book it is clear that this is a metaphor for immigration officials.
The book is a relatively short read and would be suitable for upper Key Stage Two. I imagine it could lead to many engaging conversations.
I found the storyline to be relatable and, at time, humorous. However, the story’s climax seems to draw the book to a close too suddenly and certain events seem far fetched, including the idea of a coat remaining in lost property for over a decade. Nonetheless, there are many thought provoking moments and areas for discussion. For example the brothers repeatedly claim that “demons” keep making people disappear, by the end of the book it is clear that this is a metaphor for immigration officials.
The book is a relatively short read and would be suitable for upper Key Stage Two. I imagine it could lead to many engaging conversations.
March 12, 2019
Returning to her old school as an adult, Julie, our narrator, recalls Chingis and Nergui, the two mysterious Mongolian brothers who came into her life and then disappeared, leaving a coat still in the school years later. Most of the book is an account of her memories of the burgeoning relationship she had with them, and how she discovers the secret of Chingis’ Polaroids of his native land.
Funny, moving and told in a wonderfully direct voice, this would already be a charming story. As it is, presented as if in a notebook with Chingis’ photos (the significance of both notebook and photos emerges), this is bound to intrigue and delight all through - and the ending, sudden and a sort of resolution of the mysteries Julie puzzles over, has a marvellous truthfulness to it.
Funny, moving and told in a wonderfully direct voice, this would already be a charming story. As it is, presented as if in a notebook with Chingis’ photos (the significance of both notebook and photos emerges), this is bound to intrigue and delight all through - and the ending, sudden and a sort of resolution of the mysteries Julie puzzles over, has a marvellous truthfulness to it.
August 10, 2020
My eldest starts High School in September and was given The Unforgotten Coat as part of her summer reading. Always one to take an interest in what she is reading, I snaffled it from her and dived in. It took me an hour being a mere 100 pages including some that were devoted to various Polaroid photographs. Surely you cant fit much in, in just 100 pages?
Except you can. I can see why it has been given to my ex year 6 soon to be year 7 daughter. The first page is all about the summer term of year 6 when “a door was opening and sunshine was pouring in, and any day now you would be allowed out through that door.” It’s evocative to me as an adult some 25 odd years since I experienced that term, so I can only imagine how relative it must feel to a child currently living that.
It’s a great one to use as a common thread for first term High School students (or to use for a book club) as there is so much to talk about. Immigration and the ethics around taking children from their beds at night. The rich culture of Mongolia, a place I bet not too many 11 year olds had heard of. Even Polaroid cameras – do kids even know what they are today? And could they make the Mongolian desert appear by using a sand dune just off the Mersey Rail link?
Except you can. I can see why it has been given to my ex year 6 soon to be year 7 daughter. The first page is all about the summer term of year 6 when “a door was opening and sunshine was pouring in, and any day now you would be allowed out through that door.” It’s evocative to me as an adult some 25 odd years since I experienced that term, so I can only imagine how relative it must feel to a child currently living that.
It’s a great one to use as a common thread for first term High School students (or to use for a book club) as there is so much to talk about. Immigration and the ethics around taking children from their beds at night. The rich culture of Mongolia, a place I bet not too many 11 year olds had heard of. Even Polaroid cameras – do kids even know what they are today? And could they make the Mongolian desert appear by using a sand dune just off the Mersey Rail link?
November 25, 2017
I read this book in about an hour. This book deals with the problem of immigrants. Thousands of people love this book, and this book has received an award. But I don't like this book.
January 29, 2020
This probably would have been 3 stars if I had read it instead of listening to the audiobook, but unfortunately the voice actor's attempt at a Scouse accent was painful enough that it actually hindered the text. The story's message and the afterword brought my rating up a star
July 28, 2020
A really powerful, thought-provoking, short story.
December 29, 2024
really good for a book I have to read for a seminar
July 10, 2025
3.75 stars
January 30, 2012
In a few short months, Julie will graduate and all her friends will scatter to new schools. But their elementary school has one last surprise waiting for them before they go. When Chingis and Nergui show up to class in their thick fur coats with the sun beating down outside, everyone is intrigued. Then, the teacher asks Nergui to remove his hat and Chingis responds that his brother is like an eagle calmed by a hood, and removing his hat would have disastrous results. These new kids are clearly not their average classmates and everyone wants to get to know them. Julie is the one they pick as their guide though, and she takes her responsibilities seriously. But something is wrong with the brothers. Chingis claims that a demon is chasing his brother--how could that possibly be true? Julie's seen plenty of strange things since the brothers showed up in her life though, and something clearly has them spooked. Perhaps there really is a demon chasing them after all.
It's refreshing to see such a humorous and engrossing book dealing with such a serious topic. Not only does it highlight issues around adapting to a new culture, it eventually becomes clear that Chingis and Nergui are illegal immigrants. The book is so funny and quick though that the reader is already engaged with the characters by the time this is revealed and so it will appeal to plenty of kids who would otherwise shy away from issues fiction. I'm reading this to my other third grade class right now and they are enjoying it--especially the Polaroid pictures throughout (although I did have to explain what those were.) They're also learning a little about Mongolian culture along the way which I am at least finding fascinating and isn't commonly explored in juvenile fiction (or western fiction in general.) The book was apparently inspired by a student in the first class Boyce made an author visit to and it has a very authentic feel. The narrator is looking back on the incident as an adult, which allows Boyce to tell a story that has impact without leaving the readers on an uncertain and dark note.
It took me a while to figure out that Chingis is another spelling of Genghis so Chingis is named after Genghis Khan. I wish there had been some sort of note about it. A pronunciation guide for the Mongolian words would have also been much appreciated and perhaps a glossary as well. Nothing makes me happier than good back matter!
While I think it's fine for reading aloud to 3rd and 4th grade I'm not sure I'd give it to a student of that age to read on their own so that there's someone they can talk to when the immigration issues come up. The Mongolian words clearly will be new vocabulary for most students, but other than that the word are pretty easy. The book is short with pictures throughout but it is high interest and features students at the end of year six so it'd be a good book to give to 5th and 6th graders who are not strong readers.
Read more of my reviews at http://auldschoollibrarian.blogspot.com
It's refreshing to see such a humorous and engrossing book dealing with such a serious topic. Not only does it highlight issues around adapting to a new culture, it eventually becomes clear that Chingis and Nergui are illegal immigrants. The book is so funny and quick though that the reader is already engaged with the characters by the time this is revealed and so it will appeal to plenty of kids who would otherwise shy away from issues fiction. I'm reading this to my other third grade class right now and they are enjoying it--especially the Polaroid pictures throughout (although I did have to explain what those were.) They're also learning a little about Mongolian culture along the way which I am at least finding fascinating and isn't commonly explored in juvenile fiction (or western fiction in general.) The book was apparently inspired by a student in the first class Boyce made an author visit to and it has a very authentic feel. The narrator is looking back on the incident as an adult, which allows Boyce to tell a story that has impact without leaving the readers on an uncertain and dark note.
It took me a while to figure out that Chingis is another spelling of Genghis so Chingis is named after Genghis Khan. I wish there had been some sort of note about it. A pronunciation guide for the Mongolian words would have also been much appreciated and perhaps a glossary as well. Nothing makes me happier than good back matter!
While I think it's fine for reading aloud to 3rd and 4th grade I'm not sure I'd give it to a student of that age to read on their own so that there's someone they can talk to when the immigration issues come up. The Mongolian words clearly will be new vocabulary for most students, but other than that the word are pretty easy. The book is short with pictures throughout but it is high interest and features students at the end of year six so it'd be a good book to give to 5th and 6th graders who are not strong readers.
Read more of my reviews at http://auldschoollibrarian.blogspot.com
May 26, 2013
An intriguing book, partly because of its format, with its notebook lined pages and photographs smattered throughout. I liked how this made me as a reader feel like I was more a part of the adventure, and seeing the Polaroids that Chingis was taking really made the story feel more compelling and real.
What I found perhaps most interesting about this book was all of the protagonist Julie's assumptions about the lives of Chingis and Nergui back in Mongolia, and how Chingis and Nergui intentionally propagate some of these myths (how she assumes that they ride on horseback everywhere and wear the heavy fur coats they have (which turn out to be from England); how she thinks that they must be incredibly adapted to living out in the elements and finds out she knows more about survival/is more practical than they are). Julie's attempts to be a "good guide" for them are interesting also, in that her efforts to make them more comfortable or draw them out by learning more about Mongolia and mentioning this information in class leave them stone-faced. Seeing Chingis and Nergui's adjustment process is also intriguing: how they are fascinated by football and pick up slang in an effort to fit in, eventually leaving Julie behind somewhat in an attempt to do the same.
Chingis and Nergui's mysterious nature is what really drives this book, as Julie is continually trying to figure them out, especially with the "demon" that Nergui is hiding from.
Much of this book was more about change than tradition, specifically the changes Nergui and Chingis were undergoing as refugees in England: changing their styles of speech and living in a defensive, below-the-radar kind of way as to avoid detection by immigration. From the point of view of our unreliable and naive storyteller Julie (in that she is very much still in the process of figuring the brothers out), it's hard to tell what actions that Nergui and Chingis take are from their traditions and what are results of changes. What's clear, however, in the metanarrative is that Britain's immigration policies are causing dramatic changes not only in the lives of refugees as they try to assimilate, but also in the lives of those around them when immigrants who've become a valued part of a community are suddenly deported.
What I found perhaps most interesting about this book was all of the protagonist Julie's assumptions about the lives of Chingis and Nergui back in Mongolia, and how Chingis and Nergui intentionally propagate some of these myths (how she assumes that they ride on horseback everywhere and wear the heavy fur coats they have (which turn out to be from England); how she thinks that they must be incredibly adapted to living out in the elements and finds out she knows more about survival/is more practical than they are). Julie's attempts to be a "good guide" for them are interesting also, in that her efforts to make them more comfortable or draw them out by learning more about Mongolia and mentioning this information in class leave them stone-faced. Seeing Chingis and Nergui's adjustment process is also intriguing: how they are fascinated by football and pick up slang in an effort to fit in, eventually leaving Julie behind somewhat in an attempt to do the same.
Chingis and Nergui's mysterious nature is what really drives this book, as Julie is continually trying to figure them out, especially with the "demon" that Nergui is hiding from.
Much of this book was more about change than tradition, specifically the changes Nergui and Chingis were undergoing as refugees in England: changing their styles of speech and living in a defensive, below-the-radar kind of way as to avoid detection by immigration. From the point of view of our unreliable and naive storyteller Julie (in that she is very much still in the process of figuring the brothers out), it's hard to tell what actions that Nergui and Chingis take are from their traditions and what are results of changes. What's clear, however, in the metanarrative is that Britain's immigration policies are causing dramatic changes not only in the lives of refugees as they try to assimilate, but also in the lives of those around them when immigrants who've become a valued part of a community are suddenly deported.
February 5, 2013
During the final term of primary school, a new boy joins Julie O’Connor’s class. Chengis comes from Mongolia. Chengis’ unusual clothes, exotic background and strange world-view fascinate Julie. She is delighted when Chengis asks her to act as ‘Good Guide’ to teach him and his brother Nergui about life in Bootle.
Julie longs to be a part of Chengis’ world, which she imagines to be extremely exotic. Chengis encourages her to believe this by telling her stories about life in Mongolia and showing her Polaroid pictures of his home. However, she discovers that all is not as it seems: Chengis and his family live in a dilapidated housing estate rather than in a miniature Xanadu; the pictures of Mongolia are images of locations around Liverpool; Chengis’ traditional Mongolian coat was made in London; finally Julie learns that Chengis and his family have been deported because they entered the United Kingdom illegally.
Years pass and Julie, now an adult, visits her old school, which is due to be demolished. She discovers Chengis’ old coat with the pictures in it in the lost property. By chance, she is contacted by Chengis though the internet soon after the visit and offers to return the coat.
I loved the presentation of this story: it is set out like a school notebook, complete with margins and Polaroid pictures inserted at various points. It is pithily written and conveys the sense of possibility and excitement that I remember feeling at the start of adolescence very convincingly. Similarly, the reality of Chengis’ situation is dealt with sensitively yet unsentimentally.
The criticism I have of the book is that I found Chengis a terribly annoying character. I have sympathy for his circumstances, but he is presumptuous, manipulative, stubborn and a show-off. I did not find his eccentricities endearing at all. It seemed entirely in keeping with his character that at the end of the book he wanted his ancient coat back.
Despite my issues with one of the central characters, I enjoyed The Unforgotten Coat and would recommend it. It would be an excellent text to use with upper Key Stage 2. The obvious themes around which lessons could be based are immigration, refugees and multiculturalism. The layout of the book could inspire children to work with cameras to create exotic looking locations from the familiar and the account of the science lesson might motivate children to participate in practical science lessons enthusiastically. The Unforgotten Coat is also short enough that it could be used simply as a text to read to a class over the course of a few days.
Julie longs to be a part of Chengis’ world, which she imagines to be extremely exotic. Chengis encourages her to believe this by telling her stories about life in Mongolia and showing her Polaroid pictures of his home. However, she discovers that all is not as it seems: Chengis and his family live in a dilapidated housing estate rather than in a miniature Xanadu; the pictures of Mongolia are images of locations around Liverpool; Chengis’ traditional Mongolian coat was made in London; finally Julie learns that Chengis and his family have been deported because they entered the United Kingdom illegally.
Years pass and Julie, now an adult, visits her old school, which is due to be demolished. She discovers Chengis’ old coat with the pictures in it in the lost property. By chance, she is contacted by Chengis though the internet soon after the visit and offers to return the coat.
I loved the presentation of this story: it is set out like a school notebook, complete with margins and Polaroid pictures inserted at various points. It is pithily written and conveys the sense of possibility and excitement that I remember feeling at the start of adolescence very convincingly. Similarly, the reality of Chengis’ situation is dealt with sensitively yet unsentimentally.
The criticism I have of the book is that I found Chengis a terribly annoying character. I have sympathy for his circumstances, but he is presumptuous, manipulative, stubborn and a show-off. I did not find his eccentricities endearing at all. It seemed entirely in keeping with his character that at the end of the book he wanted his ancient coat back.
Despite my issues with one of the central characters, I enjoyed The Unforgotten Coat and would recommend it. It would be an excellent text to use with upper Key Stage 2. The obvious themes around which lessons could be based are immigration, refugees and multiculturalism. The layout of the book could inspire children to work with cameras to create exotic looking locations from the familiar and the account of the science lesson might motivate children to participate in practical science lessons enthusiastically. The Unforgotten Coat is also short enough that it could be used simply as a text to read to a class over the course of a few days.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 20, 2012
Frank Cottrell Boyce writes magic. I am of no doubt that pretty much everything he publishes in the realm of children's literature will be thought of as utter classics in the years to come. And, to be frank, they should be sung and danced about now for his books are magical classics already.
I love Millions. Millions is my desert island book of choice.
But I think The Unforgotten Coat might come very close to usurping it.
The Unforgotten Coat of the title belongs to Chingis, one of two Mongolian brothers, who Julie knew as a child. They turned up at her school one day, and Julie still remembers every moment of her time with them. In flashbacks, Julie tells us the story of how Chingis asked her to be their "Good Guide"; a sort of guide to the new culture they found themselves in. Julie even taught them football - by borrowing next door's ball, and then when that didn't prove enough, borrowing next door's boy.
But there's something very wrong with the two brothers. Chingis tells Julie how he and Nergui are being chased by a demon - a demon who "makes things vanish". And it's Julie's slow discovery of the truth about the demon - and about the boys themselves - that forms the sad, painful truth of this story.
Conceptually, this book is beautifully packaged. It's part of the story itself; pages are lined as in like an exercise book, and it's interwoven with polaroid pictures that form part of Chingis' narrative. It's superb work and needs recognition.
Cottrell Boyce writes this book with a very brilliant simplicity. He has the gift of insight; we are wholly able to lose ourselves in Julie and can't help but feel her confused pain when the book comes to a resolution. I loved this book. It's quick to read, but the impact of it is huge. It is a bold, emotional story that hits you very deep.
I'd like Frank Cottrell Boyce to stop being so good now please.
I love Millions. Millions is my desert island book of choice.
But I think The Unforgotten Coat might come very close to usurping it.
The Unforgotten Coat of the title belongs to Chingis, one of two Mongolian brothers, who Julie knew as a child. They turned up at her school one day, and Julie still remembers every moment of her time with them. In flashbacks, Julie tells us the story of how Chingis asked her to be their "Good Guide"; a sort of guide to the new culture they found themselves in. Julie even taught them football - by borrowing next door's ball, and then when that didn't prove enough, borrowing next door's boy.
But there's something very wrong with the two brothers. Chingis tells Julie how he and Nergui are being chased by a demon - a demon who "makes things vanish". And it's Julie's slow discovery of the truth about the demon - and about the boys themselves - that forms the sad, painful truth of this story.
Conceptually, this book is beautifully packaged. It's part of the story itself; pages are lined as in like an exercise book, and it's interwoven with polaroid pictures that form part of Chingis' narrative. It's superb work and needs recognition.
Cottrell Boyce writes this book with a very brilliant simplicity. He has the gift of insight; we are wholly able to lose ourselves in Julie and can't help but feel her confused pain when the book comes to a resolution. I loved this book. It's quick to read, but the impact of it is huge. It is a bold, emotional story that hits you very deep.
I'd like Frank Cottrell Boyce to stop being so good now please.
November 1, 2014
A brilliant book that surprised by sucking me into it. I listened to the audiobook and I just love hearing the accents. Towards the end, I started to figure it out but was still wondering if the demon was real or not.
Book talk: (show p. 12 pic of coat) If you saw this coat just hanging here, what kind of story do you think it would have? Where did it come from? Who left it? (take the time to hear what kinds of things they have to say) Frank Cottrell Boyce did exactly what you just did; this author wrote a story about this coat. One day two new boys show up in Julie's class, one of them wearing this coat. His name is Chingis and he says he is from Mongolia. His little brother, Nergui, refuses to leave his brother's side. The teacher tries to get Nergui to leave her class and go to his but Chingis says, "No." The teacher tries to get Nergui to take his hat off and Chingis says, "No." The teacher tries to get Nergui by his real name and agani Chingis says, "No." Julie and the rest of the class don't quite know what to make of these Mongolian immigrants but Julie soon becomes friends with them--and she's trying to puzzle out their mysterious behavior. WHY won't Nergui take off his hat? WHY won't they call him by his real name? WHY do they take a different route home everyday? Find out in The Unforgotten Coat.
Book talk: (show p. 12 pic of coat) If you saw this coat just hanging here, what kind of story do you think it would have? Where did it come from? Who left it? (take the time to hear what kinds of things they have to say) Frank Cottrell Boyce did exactly what you just did; this author wrote a story about this coat. One day two new boys show up in Julie's class, one of them wearing this coat. His name is Chingis and he says he is from Mongolia. His little brother, Nergui, refuses to leave his brother's side. The teacher tries to get Nergui to leave her class and go to his but Chingis says, "No." The teacher tries to get Nergui to take his hat off and Chingis says, "No." The teacher tries to get Nergui by his real name and agani Chingis says, "No." Julie and the rest of the class don't quite know what to make of these Mongolian immigrants but Julie soon becomes friends with them--and she's trying to puzzle out their mysterious behavior. WHY won't Nergui take off his hat? WHY won't they call him by his real name? WHY do they take a different route home everyday? Find out in The Unforgotten Coat.
February 20, 2017
Tasarımı öyküden daha çekici.
November 15, 2025
openlibrary.org
Weird & magical story about immigration &/or refugees.* The perfect example of "truth is stranger than fiction" because the author 'could not have made this stuff up.' Read it first - so many photos it's a very quick read - then do read the author's note to understand how it is fiction,** but inspired by real life. I will look for more by the author
*Author's note does not explain the historical context and my inexpert online searches revealed nothing to explain.
**Actually more like a multi-media art project. Share it with your brightest young friends so they can see what happens 'outside the box.'
Weird & magical story about immigration &/or refugees.* The perfect example of "truth is stranger than fiction" because the author 'could not have made this stuff up.' Read it first - so many photos it's a very quick read - then do read the author's note to understand how it is fiction,** but inspired by real life. I will look for more by the author
*Author's note does not explain the historical context and my inexpert online searches revealed nothing to explain.
**Actually more like a multi-media art project. Share it with your brightest young friends so they can see what happens 'outside the box.'
October 25, 2011
children's fiction (marked for ages 8-12). This didn't immediately grab me (despite full color pages and lots of polaroids inserted into pages of the "journal") but I've heard good things and will try to seek out more books by this author in the future. Summary: Julie writes the story of when she befriended two Mongolian immigrants in the 6th/7th grade. They learn a lot from each other; at the very end of the story they all reconnect on Facebook. It's mildly interesting, but not very.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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