World Refugee Week

Refugee Week first began in the UK in 1998. The festival is held annually around World Refugee Day on 20th June and celebrates the 'contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary.' 

One of the major aims of Refugee Week is to encourage people from all backgrounds to connect and to raise awareness and understanding of why people are displaced as well as the many challenges these people face. In the UK, Refugee Week also serves as a platform for those who sought sanctuary here to share their own creative works and personal experiences. 

To mark Refugee Week and raise awareness of the varied experiences of refugees, the GCH Library team has put together this list of books for students. 

All titles are available to borrow from the Library.

Illegal by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin [GN] 

This is a powerful and timely story about one boy's epic journey across Africa to Europe, a graphic novel for all children with glorious colour artwork throughout. 

Ebo: alone. His sister left months ago. Now his brother has disappeared too, and Ebo knows it can only be to make the hazardous journey to Europe. Ebo's epic journey takes him across the Sahara Desert to the dangerous streets of Tripoli, and finally out to the merciless sea. But with every step he holds on to his hope for a new life, and a reunion with his sister.

No Ballet Shoes in Syria by Catherine Bruton 

Aya is eleven years old and has just arrived in Britain with her mum and baby brother, seeking asylum from war in Syria. When Aya stumbles across a local ballet class, the formidable dance teacher spots her exceptional talent and believes that Aya has the potential to earn a prestigious ballet scholarship. But at the same time, Aya and her family must fight to be allowed to remain in the country, to make a home for themselves and to find Aya's father - separated from the rest of the family during the journey from Syria.

Refugee Boy by Benzamin Zephaniah 

Alem is on holiday with his father for a few days in London. He has never been out of Ethiopia before and is very excited. They have a great few days together until one morning when Alem wakes up in the bed and breakfast they are staying at to find the unthinkable. His father has left him. It is only when the owner of the bed and breakfast hands him a letter that Alem is given an explanation. Alem's father admits that because of the political problems in Ethiopia both he and Alem's mother felt Alem would be safer in London - even though it is breaking their hearts to do this. Alem is now on his own, in the hands of the social services and the Refugee Council. He lives from letter to letter, waiting to hear from his father, and in particular about his mother, who has                          now gone missing...

The Lines We Cross by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Michael is drawn to his new classmate Mina, but they're on opposite sides of an issue that's tearing their town apart. His parents are part of an anti-immigration group, while her family have fled their besieged home in Afghanistan. As tensions rise, lines are drawn and both must decide what they want their world to look like, no matter the cost.

When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed [GN]

A heart-wrenching true story about life in a Kenyan refugee camp that will restore your faith in real-life happy endings.

Omar and his brother Hassan, two Somali boys, have spent a long time in the Dadaab refugee camp. Separated from their mother, they are looked after by a friendly stranger. Life in the camp isn't always easy. The hunger is constant . . . but there's football to look forward to, and now there's a chance Omar will get to go to school . . .

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

This is an inspirational novel based on a true story from the Second World War. When the German ship the Wilhelm Gustloff was sunk in port in early 1945 it had over 9000 civilian refugees, including children, on board. Nearly all were drowned. Ruta Sepetys, acclaimed author of Between Shades of Grey, brilliantly imagines the story of a handful of these people as they trek across Germany, bound together only by their desperation to reach the ship that can take them away from the war-ravaged land. From the gentle wisdom of the old man known as the Shoe Poet to the bravery of Emilia, the Polish girl who struggles onwards hiding a dark secret inside herself, this is a band of unforgettable characters and unmissable stories.

The Other Side of Truth Beverley Naidoo

This is the story of 12 year-old Sade and her brother Femi who flee to Britain from Nigeria. Their father is a political journalist who refuses to stop criticising the military rulers in Nigeria. Their mother is killed and they are sent to London, with their father promising to follow. Abandoned at Victoria Station by the woman paid to bring them to England as her children, Sade and Femi find themselves alone in a new, often hostile, environment. Seen through the eyes of Sade, the novel explores what it means to be classified as 'illegal' and the difficulties which come with being a refugee.

 Refugee Week 20-26th June 2022

Spotlight on JSTOR!

This week GCH Library would like to highlight another of our brilliant online resources.

As some of our sixth formers will already know, all GCH students have the privilege of free online access to JSTOR. 

JSTOR is a great digital library or primary sources, academic articles and books. Used by universities everywhere, it is one of the most trusted research platforms and is an excellent resource for students looking for secondary sources for their coursework!

JSTOR can be accessed here via the Library App.

1. To access JSTOR, and many other useful online resources, log on to the Library App using your usual computer login details. 

2. Then type in the search bar the topic you are looking to learn more about. As June is Pride Month in the UK, we have used 'LGBT History' as an example. 

3. Click on the dark grey drop down bar labelled 'One Search' on the left side of the screen and select 'JSTOR login'.

4. Follow the instructions on screen. These will tell you to open the link to JSTOR and then close it. 

You will then be able to open your search results for what you were looking for - in this instance 'LGBT History'! Using the setting in the left hand corner, you can then refine your results by subject, date and the type of source you want. 

Please contact us at the library if you have any difficulties accessing our resources.

Happy researching!