The Silver Path

by Christine Harris

Niko and Penny are pen pals on opposite sides of the world. But their lives are separated by more than distance. Penny lives in a peaceful world with a big garden and a dog named Scruff. Niko lives in a world racked by war. His father has been arrested. And now, forced to flee their village, Niko and his mother live in a hotel that houses refuges. In his letter to Penny, Niko describes how he stands on the balcony of the hotel at night and gazes at the moon shining in the ocean. He imagines that the reflection is a silver path leading to her home. He hopes that one day Penny can visit him. He dreams that his father will be free. He waits for the wonderful day when his family can return to their village and be happy again.

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Christine Harris is an Australian writer of children's and young-adult with works both in speculative fiction and historical fiction.

Reviews

[Darya]

Вся ця книжка-картинка - це лист Ніко до його товаришки за листуванням, де текст листа супроводжується реальними (згаданими в листі як щось, що діти пересилають одне одному) картинками-листівками та уявними ілюстраціями до моментів, згаданих у тексті. Ніко з мамою живуть в готелі біля моря, вони мусили втекти зі свого селища, коли прийшли якісь військові, забрали їжу з їхньої кав'ярні, а батька заарештували, оскільки він запропонував їм заплатити за їжу, як усі нормальні люди. За наївним дослівним переказом подій і вражень хлопчиком із маминих саркастичних коментарів можна зрозуміти, наскільки це для неї ще набагато більший стрес, ніж для нього. Момент появи книжки та деталі натякають на те, що контекст - війни після розпаду Югославії.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Niko describes his home in a hotel as a refugee to his penpal, Penny. The book is bilingual Vietnamese, and English. The soldiers arrested Niko's father and took him to a prison camp because he stood up to them when they stole from the village.

Tags: War -- Refugees -- Parental Separation -- Prison Camp

[Imaduddin Ahmed · Rating 2 out of 5]

The third person tenses in Urdu were incorrect.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book shows some of what happens on a war but I don't know which war. There is too much emotional distance in the book.