Refuge

by Jackie French

When a boat carrying a group of asylum seekers is sunk by a freak wave, Faris wakes from the shipwreck in an Australia he's always dreamed of. There are kangaroos grazing under orange trees and the sky is always blue. On a nearby beach, Faris meets a group of young people who have come from far different times and places.

They are also seeking refuge, and each has their own story of why they had to leave their country to make a new life for themselves. It is only when Faris chooses to return to 'real life' and find his father in Australia that he learns the extraordinary truth about the friends he made on the golden beach.

From one of Australia's best-loved authors comes a remarkable story about Australia's long history of migration and the people who make up our country.

Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, School, Fiction, Historical, Contemporary, Middle Grade

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Jackie is an award-winning writer, wombat negotiator and the Australian Children’s Laureate for 2014-2015. She is regarded as one of Australia’s most popular children’s authors, and writes across all genres - from picture books, history, fantasy, ecology and sci-fi to her much loved historical fiction. In her capacity as Australian Children’s Laureate, ‘Share a Story’ will be the primary philosophy behind Jackie’s two-year term.

Reviews

[Phuong To · Rating 4 out of 5]

concept was on point. LOVED IT !

[Christian West · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faris and his grandmother flee a troubled country with the hope of living in Australia. Their boat from Indonesia is destroyed by a storm and Faris is swept away. When he wakes he is in an idyllic Australia where his grandmother is constantly happy, they have a pet koala and kangaroos hop down the street. He spends his days playing with other children on the beach. But something doesn't add up, and when Faris find out what, it changes his perception of life forever.
An excellent book about issues of migration, war and finding your own refuge from the troubles of life.

[Sarah Mayor Cox]

As this is a 2014 Aurealis Children's Category Finalist ( and I was on the judging panel) I won't be posting a full review or star rating until the winners are announced. Suffice to say, the fact that it made it onto the list, in a very strong year of entries is high praise for it. Do yourself a favour & read it & if you're an Australian maybe but a copy for your local member of Fed Parliament.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book a bit slow at the beginning but as the story developed I found myself more and more engrossed in the lives of the characters. Jackie French shows us once again what an exceptional story writer she is.

[Penny Reeve · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a novel for children about the issue of 'boat people' in Australia, but the way French has decided to tell the story (or stories) was surprisingly effective. Her main character, Faris, is on his way to Australia when his boat is shipwrecked. When he wakes he finds himself in the Australia of his imagination (complete with chicken gnawing koalas) by an idyllic beach on which gather an assortment of children. As the story progresses Faris, and the reader, learn the stories of each child; be it escaping the potato famine in Ireland, a convict bound for Botany Bay, one of the very first arrivals to this great land or a refugee from Sudan. Each child has come face to face with their death on their way to the Australia of their time, and all are finding refuge in this place. But the time comes when Faris, and the others, must face their own fears, own time and own story and return to reality. Will they make it to Australia? Will they even survive? And will the Australia they expect turn out to fulfill the dreams they have all had - for survival, peace, love and belonging?
This is an interesting novel with strong characters and rich historical roots. It makes you realise how incredible Australia is, and how it has called people throughout the years as being a place of fresh starts and hope. 'Refuge' also reminds us, despite the current debates and fear tactics of some, that people have always traveled to Australia by boat. It's part of who we are. 'Refuge' is a good read that I'd recommend.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Supplied by HarperCollins New Zealand for review

Faris is a refuge fleeing his war torn country on a boat carrying him to Australia. The boat is struck by a freak wave and sinks, leaving him struggling to survive. Then he’s washed ashore to the Australia he’s always dreamed of; with kangaroos and orange trees and blue skies. On a nearby beach he meets a group of young people who have all come from different places to call Australia home. The group all come from different time periods but are a family.

As he leaves the island to battle to survive the sinking, he is determined to survive and join his father. We follow his struggle to adapt to his new life and make friends. Then he gets a letter from a nun, inviting him to meet her. What he learns solves the mystery of what happened to the other residents of the island.

I found this book odd at first as I didn’t understand what the island was and didn’t ‘get’ it. I enjoyed the stories of each person and eventually I realised the island was a safe place each retreated to when deciding whether to survive during their perilous passage to make a new life for themselves. This is a very interesting look at the migration to Australia over the years and offers an up-close look at modern boatpeople and why they undertake the journey. You can’t help but think differently when you see individuals rather than a faceless mass.

I liked the ending and finding out what happened to everyone.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story, that played out differently than I expected. I didn't read the back jacket too closely and so wasn't expecting the fantastical elements of the story. Although I would've preferred a more realistic story regarding this subject, this device allowed the author to make her point over a long period of time. Very enjoyable and a subject well worth thinking about. A year 5 student in my class is reading this, but I would recommend for high school age students.

[Sofie N · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story that moved me to tears. Couldn't put it down.

[Jeannie May · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, amazing and beautiful story. I would recommend to children and adults alike. Perceptive, powerful and imaginative. I didn't want it to end!

[Jon-Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly don't know what I should have taken away from this book. It was... strange. I picked it up just for a bit of light reading, but some of the things just don't make sense.

[Anna ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a school reading book, and it was superrrr boring at the start. The end eventually got better and it had a good ending.

[Avni Khanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

MY GOD THE NUMBER OF TIMES I STARTED CRYING WHILE READING THIS BOOK! IF I COULD GIVE IT LOWER, I WOULD. If you love this book, keep scrolling because you are irrelevant and boring and have nothing to do with your life but to sit there and watch people selling things on the tv. I do not care about your opinion because it is stupid and wrong. If you do not like this book (WHICH SHOULD BE EVERYONE) IT WAS SO BORNING! I WOULD RATHER SIT IN THE FIREY PITS OF HELL AND LISTEN TO KATY PERRY SINGING HUMPTY DUMPTY THAN READ THIS. The characters were annoying. Billy said so many goddamn slurs. Susannah was a bitch like, respect people's privacy, please. She reminds me of the pick-me girls who WOULD NOT STOP ASKING ABOUT THE DRAMA YOU ARE IN. Like shut up and keep your nose in your ass, where it so clearly belongs and in her case, lives.

And Faris was annoying as hell. Can you tell me why, the only good character, Jadda, HAD TO FUCKING DIE?! She was the reason I read through the first 2 pages (that's all I got up to before throwing it in my fireplace and drinking as a celebration). I loved Jadda but THEY HAD TO KILL HER!

To be nice, this book is a piece of trash and is a disgrace to the name of literature.

[Oonika Shipley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to read this book for school and every minute I read this book I lost brain cells. You will spend half of the time crying hysterically and being on the verge of a psychotic breakdown over the bad decisions the characters make and the other half wishing you could stab your head with a blunt knife so you don't have to read this atrocious "literature" if you can even call it that. All Australian Primary English teachers are head over heels in love with Jackie French and will kiss her feet just to have her signature and I can't see why, all she writes about in this book is a beach and some people who are delusional but think they aren't. I would rather read smut in public than read this waste of ink and trees again. If you are going to die soon and want to speed the process up, read this book and you will find yourself quickly passing away. The representation in this book is ok but the way she writes about Australia at the start is sickening, it's all just beaches and koalas. This book was strange and if you like this your life is sad and you need to find something better to do with your time.

[Matthew Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pain. His body was crushed down, then up then sideways, and down again. Faris was on his way to Australia with his grandmother, fleeing his war-torn homeland. He was on his way to join his father in Australia when a wave sweeps him from the back of the boat, and into a fantasy world, his Australia. He wakes up, everything as he imagined it. He has a pet koala, buffets, clean sheets and hot water, he is in heaven. One day he wanders down to the beach and discovers he isn’t the only one in this fantasy world. Everyone else on the beach was immigrating to Australia when their journey was cut short.
The reason I enjoyed reading this book so much is it highlights the multiculturalism Australia has. Everyone on the beach was of a different culture and was immigrating in a different time period. Together they exchanged stories of their pasts. Faris eventually musters the strength to return to reality in order to get to Australia. He eventually makes it there, finding his dad, and the truth behind what happened at the beach in his fantasy world.

[Gab · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a young adult book by one of Australia's best authors, Jackie French, who often tackles current events in her books. This book is about Australia and the history of immigrants who now call it home. Thirteen year old Faris and his grandmother are on their way to Australia when their boat is about to sink. When Faris wakes up, he's in a comfortable bed in the Australia of his dreams - with buffet breakfast every day and kangaroos hopping down the street. He comes to a beach and finds other children all playing together. He realises that this beach is a refuge for lots of people who have journeyed to Australia. The catch is that the beach has kids who have come to Australia across time as well as from many different places. The beach ends up being a place of rest and restoration - when the children feel ready, they can go back to their lives. Faris draws strength from the beach as his journey to find his father continues. I love that this book would be a great discussion starting point and look forward to talking about it with students this term.

[Baz Holmes · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first started this book, I thought this was going to be a rather slow and boring, but it turned out the be a great mystery and it was interesting learning about all the different characters, where they came from, when they came from, and why they were travelling to Australia. This made the book a real page turner. The book ended had a satisfying ending, which made me feel good after reading it.

[Talia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was actually forced to read this book for school in grade six for book analyses. But to tell you the truth if that never happened I would never have read this book. As a kid I was not genuinely interested in reading these kinds of books and the title 'Refuge' put me off instantly because I just don't like these kinds of stories and I could tell from the picture that it was sad.

Normally, I would never read books like this. But because my teacher made us, me and some other branier kids analysed it and I can now say that after finishing it I really do appreciate this wonderful story and it's wonderful message too.

[Shelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not what I was expecting at all, I think in a good way. It is a unique book where the reader gains multiple perspectives of being a refugee. Some of the stories of the kids stuck on the beach were very sad and moving. The book was quite ambitious, there was a lot going on and I felt that you need a lot of context to get the most out of it.

[Wendy Bamber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting concept of a group of children spending time on an idealistic Sydney beach, escaping their current nightmare enroute there. Shows how children have been escaping dreadful situations throughout history and unfortunately continue to do so. An interesting variation on the popular theme of refugee stories. Was happy with the ending.

[Kay Oswin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm using this book with my class and it is one of the most powerful and impacting novels I have worked with in my 30+ year teaching career. The power of exploring all aspects of refuge is challenging and liberating the kids within a school for kids who don't fit into mainstream.
Love, love, love this book and what is brings to class.

[Jodie Thomson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an interesting creative story making a space to think about suffering and survival , at the same time upgrading our knowledge of australian immigration across the centuries. A really worthwhile YA read.

[Sophie Ts · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story to discuss reasons for migration to Australia, celebrate diversity and think about how everyone’s Australia is different.
However the story is very slow at times, and the characters sit in setting that is imaginary for majority of the story. Year 8s enjoyed the historical connections

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like Life of Pi for YA, on the theme of refugees and refugee resettlement in Australia. Thought provoking and beautiful. Well worth reading.

[Mele Paongo · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was bad

[Christian Austen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book and keeps the reader entertained and understanding the scene

[Rudayn Isa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging story that holds important lessons to adults and children alike.

[lila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had to read this for school and it was AMAZING

[Janita Westphal · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was great

Its was ok
I kinda liked it
Maybe add a second book
Yeah a second book would be great👌
I loves it


Shh dont tell my mum

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

A moving book that touches on so many levels.

[Maddi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book I liked how time stopped on the beach and how they were able to find each other again when they arrived in their own times.