Baggage

by Wendy Phillips

In Vancouver International Airport, Ms. Nelson and Brittany, a teacher and student returning from a trip abroad, notice a young man alone, bewildered by his surroundings and unable to speak English. They take the boy to the airport authorities but are soon shocked to discover that he has been detained and might be deported.

Brittany lights up social media and the community to fight the injustice, and drags her friends and the local minister into a plan to release the refugee.

But their efforts must go beyond bake sales. Human smugglers also want to get the boy and will stop at nothing to get him back.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary

304 pages, Paperback

Published July 30, 2019

Reviews

[Darlene Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another awesome novel from the pen of Wendy Philips. Brilliantly written in sparse free verse, the author makes every word count. Told from the point of view of a number of characters, the reader knows each one well by the end of the tale and cares about what happens to them. The subject matter is contemporary and timely, depicting strong emotions and actions.
This thought from the teacher, Ms Nelson, says so much about her in so few words.
"I avoided the uncertainty of current events.
History stayed still.
I was in control." Page 155, Baggage
One of the best YA novels I have read in a long time. I highly recommend it.

[Geoffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book because of the premise and the fact that a major setting in the story is Vancouver International Airport, somewhere I have worked at for years and spent some of the best years of my career and life. I find that most of the books I want to read are never set in my home city of Vancouver, British Columbia, where I have lived all my life. This book intrigued me from the blurb and concept. A mysterious young African named Thabo turns up abandoned at the Vancouver airport. He speaks no English, but would he tell his whole story even if he could? An enthusiastic young woman throws herself into working for a cause. But whose cause is it that she’s actually working for? I was surprised to find that this story is written in verse, a writing format I’m not very familiar with besides the work of Ellen Hopkins. Despite being written in a poetry format, the writing itself is simple and not as flowery as most of the poetry I’ve ever read. It is clear that Wendy Phillips has spent time in Vancouver and knows Vancouver International Airport well, which elevated the story and gave it a sense of real world authenticity. I immediately wondered how my coworkers and I would react to finding an abandoned boy in the middle of the airport who can’t speak English. Even though almost every page is from the perspective of a different character, the narrative works splendidly within this style and paints a bigger picture that encompasses an entire community. I thought it highlighted performative ally ship, white savior complexes, and other well-intentioned but poorly-executed treatment of refugees & immigrants well. With a very diverse cast of main and minor characters that reflect the diverse city of Vancouver, I think this will make for an interesting and hopefully enlightening view of how Canada often treats it's newcomers, and spark some good conversations. The novel attempts to focus on the social issue of illegal immigrants and human trafficking but there are also other issues explored such as the use of social media and social justice advocacy. Phillips tells Thabo's story using free verse, a format that provides only the basics of the story while highlighting the characters. Through effective free verse, readers will get a good sense of the main characters, what motivates them and how they are different. I love the juxtaposition between Brittany and Leah, one girl who talks the talk, and the other girl who walks the walk. I loved how Thabo’s character shows a positive outcome for human trafficking survivors while reminding the reader the dark truth that this will happen again, it will never stop, and other children won’t be as lucky. I recommend this story for readers who want to know more about human trafficking in the real world.

[Ben Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Baggage”, written by Wendy Phillips and published by Coteau Books is a fantastic teen read that covers dark themes with the seriousness that fits the subject matter and a narrative device that is relevant to young readers.

The story begins at the Vancouver airport and is set in British Columbia as a young, unidentified foreign boy is found near International Arrivals by a Canadian high school teacher named Ms. Nelson and one of her students Brittany. The boy has no family or friends in sight, no identification and appears to be malnourished. To make matters worse, he does not speak any languages that anyone in the airport understands. Understandably concerned, the teacher takes the boy to the customs office only to find that their only solution is to deport the boy as he is unidentified and claim that he may not even be protected by child protection laws. They take the boy, Thabo, into their homes to protest the deportation and to protect him at all costs. It is now up to Ms. Nelson, Brittany, her sister Leah, and their friend Kevin to inspire their school and their community to keep Thabo in Canada.

The novel is written in such a unique manner that is appropriate for young readers and undeniably poetic. Rather than following a traditional novel structure, the story instead progresses with short perspectives from each main character, including Thabo. At first, Thabo is a complete mystery, only short memories and actions that other characters notice provide a window into his young but troubled life. As Leah, the sister of the politically involved Brittany begins to learn Thabo’s native tongue the reader begins to get a glimpse into Thabo’s life. After Thabo takes sanctuary with a frustrated minister in the local church, disaster strikes and Thabo is taken by those that had abandoned him at the airport. The teenage characters Leah, Kevin, and Brittany showcase their true bravery as they go to rescue their new friend Thabo. The reader also learns that the community’s fears are real, that Thabo is a victim of human trafficking.

In conclusion, “Baggage” is a great read for a young reader to explore different writing styles and an enlightening adventure for adults that can be read within a day. Even though almost every page is from the perspective of a different character, the narrative works splendidly within this style. Phillips treats the reader to both a cohesive story and to truly breathtaking character development that stays with the reader long after the final page has closed.


-B.D. Charles

[Stacey Browne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was actually a great book. I wasn’t expecting to like it because of the way it’s written, but I ending up liking it. I was pretty surprised. I thought Brittany would have some kind of turn around in the story, but she didn’t really. It surprised me, but I think it’s more realistic like that. I also like that it had an ending but it didn’t really. Thabo’s story has a conclusion, but they said this will continue and it will. I liked how real this book felt. Everything felt like it could be true. It wasn’t all as exaggerated as I usually read. I really like how vaguely the story was written. How you got to know the characters by what they saw and how they saw it rather than their thoughts or what they say. Everything was a description. I really liked that.

My favourite thing ever is after Leah and Kevin saved Thabo and Joseph and Palesa, and afternoon they came back from the hospital. On page 279, Thabo says “We go back to my family’s house.” He was talking about Brittany and Leah’s house. I almost cried. Actually, the only reason I didn’t cry is because the whole story was so fast I didn’t have time.

I really liked the pace of the story. It was really fast, but I didn’t think it was too fast.

Really a great book.

[iz_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5!
This book is written in verse; however the story was so compelling and powerful I think it would’ve benefited from being a full fledged novel.
Certain characters were frustrating and never able to develop past a certain point; whereas other characters you wanted more of but that was hard to get based on how the book was written. The storyline was amazing though! I just wish i could have had more depth in the story considering how intriguing it was.
A really interesting look at smuggling, human trafficking and what can happen when a whole community comes to rally against the police and threat of deportation.

[Sheridan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the Canadian context of this novel in verse, following a trafficked refugee and the Canadian community that rallies around him once he is found abandoned in an airport. I thought it highlighted performative ally ship, white savior complexes, and other well-intentioned but poorly-executed treatment of refugees & immigrants well. With a very diverse school population, I think this will make for an interesting and hopefully enlightening view of how Canada often treats it's newcomers, and spark some good conversations in classes. I think this would be better suited for my grade 8s or a heavily-invested grade 7 teacher to do a longer study on.

[Raveena S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was surprisingly really good. I normally don't read books like these, and while I love that they exist, many are exaggerated and unrealistic.

This one wasn't. It was vague but leaves enough to let you feel. I still managed to connect to the characters

I didn't think I'd be a fan of the writing style, but if anything I think the writing style is part of what made it good. I probably wouldn't have liked it as much if I had to see their inner thoughts. It was fast-paced, and overall a good read

[Sue Rush · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novel written in poetry form - very cool! The characters are well developed and the storyline compelling, without being bogged down by a lot of unnecessary words. I suppose it’s written for teens but I really enjoyed it.

[Marina · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5) Fun read by a Canadian Author. I loved the writing style of simplistic poetry format and changing perspectives. The book is best read in one sitting as there’s not really a logical spot to start and stop.

[adithi · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a nice read :) not sure how i feel about the writing style but the story was still good.

[yasmin · Rating 2 out of 5]

although wendy phillips explored multiple different characters and povs, i still felt disconnected from each one. the writing and story was okay, but overall baggage fell flat for me.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing.

[Vish]

It was the format for me (try reading it in Libby) :(
Loved the Tim Hortons mention in the first twenty pages, really makes me remember the wafting scent of Iced Capps.

[Julia Cloutier · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[sequoia gibson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

It was great, but some of it was in this grey area of like, it is ok for someone to be writing from a perspective they'll never understand? idk.

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book; some terms are incorrect