Christophe's Story

by Nikki Cornwell, Karin Littlewood (Illustrator)

This is the story of a young Rwandan refugee now living in the UK. Christophe is having trouble getting used to his new school, new language and new life. Life has been very lonely for him. Most of all he misses his grandfather who they had to leave behind. His teacher persuades Christophe to share his story with his classmates - so he tells them of the terrifying day the soldiers came to his house and killed his baby brother. The spoken story fills the air and his classmates are spellbound. But when his teacher asks him to write it down and read it out in assembly, Christophe is horrified. You lose the fire from a story once you write it down! But with the help of his new friends, his family and the memory of his beloved grandfather, Christophe finds a way to break through the barriers - and share his story with everyone.

Genres: Middle Grade, Childrens

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Susie]

Eight year old Christophe hasn't been to school for two years, since he and his family were forced to leave the country of Rwanda. He is now back in school, learning a new language, and making new friends. He wants to tell his story about leaving Rwanda. This is a very powerful easy to read chapter book. It makes you appreciate living in a free country!

[Eleanor Trefusis]

Christophe’s Story follows the life of an eight-year-old Rwandan refugee who has moved to the UK with his mother and father to escape the war. The story begins on Christophe’s first day of school, where he is plunged into a new environment, with a language he does not understand.

As his time at school progresses, Christopher tells his classmates about his experiences of war and the Rwandan genocide, which interests and shocks them. Christophe’s teacher encourages him to share his story to a wider audience, which he is initially very reluctant to do. However, this changes as the book progresses, exploring the role of storytelling. This theme portrays how we can become empowered by our past and help it to shape our futures, encouraging the reader to consider their own story.

Christophe’s Story explores themes of race, genocide and bullying, highlighting the importance of acceptance and kindness to the reader. I would recommend this book for Years 3 and 4 (ages 7-9). The themes of diversity and inclusion could be explored further across the curriculum, and Cornwell’s exploration of the genocide is conveyed effectively for this age group.

[Tucker Gudenkauf]

This book was pretty good because it keep me on my feet on what happened during it. I have never read a book that was this interesting because Christophe was eight years old that had to go to a new school and learn a new language. I thought that one part was interesting when his grandfather says that storys should be told instead of written because they want the readers to picture what they were saying. When I first got the book I did not think it would be good but it turned out pretty good.

[Ella]

Amazing class 4love it but they all thought that you could of told us the 3rat names

[Huda]

please we want to read

[Omar]

w'jo2 138FB

[vic]

leido un domingo a la mañana tomando unos matucos 👍

[Jane Hargrave Montaigu]

This is a simply-told, heart-warming story about a young boy named Christophe who arrives in Britain from Rwanda. It recounts his first few days at school where he encounters kindness both from his class-teacher and some pupils as well as rejection and bullying from certain other pupils.

He and his parents have fled to escape the fighting in Rwanda where his father’s life was at risk and where they tragically lost Christophe’s younger brother in an attack on their home. Christophe has not been able to attend school for the last two years because they had to escape their own village to find refuge with Christophe’s grandfather (“Babi”), a dearly depicted wise man who would tell Christophe traditional Rwandan stories. Christophe now misses him badly and wishes he could have come with them to Britain.

Although Christophe’s father has made efforts to teach him some English before he starts at school, it is still difficult for Christophe to express himself and get to know the other children. When he falls over during a game of football, another pupil notices a scar on his torso and asks what happened. Christophe then begins to recount the sad, frightening times he and his family went through in Rwanda. Eventually, through telling his story to a wider and wider audience Christophe is universally and warmly accepted by the other pupils in the school as they look beyond his apparent “differentness” and realise what extreme situations he has faced and how brave he has had to be.

This is an excellent book to promote tolerance of difference and should be effective in raising awareness of how new pupils must feel when they arrive from another country, especially if they have had to flee and leave family behind. The book demonstrates that everyone has a story to tell and that by listening to others we deepen our understanding of them. It would be a very good reader for new pupils as soon as their English is sufficiently developed, as they may identify with Christophe and be encouraged by the way he gradually managed to find his place in his new school and make friends.

The book is made up of short chapters, is written in short and simple sentences, using realistic dialogue and has a number of black and white illustrations. It would be suitable as a class reader or as private reading for pupils from about age 7 upwards. I found it very moving and would thoroughly recommend it. As one of the central themes of the book is storytelling, this story would be good inspiration for a piece of creative or autobiographical writing to depict an event. It would be possible to link it to a Geography lesson (study of Africa - locating Rwanda) as well as a starting point for a broader look at where the French language is spoken outside France.

[Jacquelyn]

Genre: Fiction Reading level: Age 7+
This beginning chapter book packs a whole bunch of meaning into a size comfortable for small hands. It is always scary to start afresh in a new school, but Christophe has some additional problems. He doesn’t speak the language well, he doesn’t know how to read, and his family has been torn apart and relocated by war. Oh, and he hasn’t been to school in 2 years. Although his father has instructed him well in English, Christophe’s grandfather has instilled in him a great reluctance for the written word. Added to the mix are the routine academic issues of bullies and friendship. Christophe’s beautiful and compassionate teacher eventually discovers his reasons for not wanting to read and helps him overcome his resistance. The black and white drawings offer moving images of Christophe and his family in their new life and in war torn Rwanda. From the art of storytelling to the horrors of war, this little text offers an honest look at some tough topics with respectful insights from Christophe’s father.
Other books for children about war:
The librarian of Basra: a true story from Iraq, Jeanette Winter
Passage to freedom: the Sugihara story, Ken Mochizuki
Year of impossible goodbyes, Sook Nyul Choi

[English Education]

TW: War, violence, genocide, death.
A shorter text, this book details the refugee experiences of Christophe, newly living in the United States after having escaped the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Christophe struggles with adapting to a new life and culture, while recovering from the trauma of watching his brother’s murder. Christophe’s quest to discover a voice and agency, while grappling with questions of social norms and acceptance, provide a compelling tale for students of any age. Likewise, because of the historical significance of the Rwandan genocide, this text is worth including in a curriculum for its humanistic perspective on a historical tragedy.

[Sarah Donovan]

The book has an important cultural reference to story-telling, that stories are alive and, in some cultures, should not be written; however, written stories can be testimony and one way for distant others to bear witness. So if you are going to write and share a story, you have an ethical responsibility to do it carefully, and I'm not sure this book treats the subject of genocide with the same care as storytelling -- equating genocide with bullying. Middle school readers can handle a little more nuance.

[Anne]

This is not an especially important book in terms of appeal and all the usual subjective qualities we like to attach to a good book. But it fills an important void for those who need to teach young children about the consequences of war. "Christophe's Story" is an universal retelling of what it was like for one child to forcibly migrate to another country. The story is authentic, not too graphic and conveys exactly the right tone for eight to ten year olds.

[Jacky]

I read this to my class this week as it links to our work on conflict and I was almost in tears while reading it. Maybe because I found the film Hotel Rwanda so moving and this is linked to the Rwandan troubles. It's not a long or complex book but it's great for using with children to discuss the impact of war.

[Tim]

It's difficult to find a middle school book that tackles modern genocide and unfortunately Christophe's Story falls short of doing it effectively as it relies too heavily on the poor connection between bullying and genocide (which is all-too-popular in middle school classrooms today) and tends to paint the Rwandan genocide as civil war.

[Katy Brown]

I think the boys in my Year 4 class liked this book because it mentioned football and getting shot! There were also gasps/sad faces when both Babi and the baby brother died, which shows that they were connected to the story.
Only 2 stars from me ⭐️⭐️as I found it quite dull. I prefer children’s literature to be full of exciting, colourful language and imagination.

[Books123]

Christophe has a vast amount of feelings; mixed feelings. I feel the pain and bliss that Christophe has to face and suffer. As soon as I read that he was required to write what had happened to his brother in the horrendous, melancholy war! I was truly captivated to read what happened next...

[Edward Sullivan]

Rwandan refugee story.

[Michael Clark]

Could have been better, trying to hard.

[Yvonne Ball]

EPIC

[Evelina]

i love it i read it at school

[Bailee]

bgh

[Leo Carter]

i would rate this a 9