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Illegal

by Eoin Colfer

A family’s journey toward Europe, told as a graphic novel

$14.62 USD
$24.37 USD $14.62 USD
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Awards & Recognition

  • Award recognition

    2019 Excellence in Graphic Literature Award Winner

    2019 award winner.

  • Editorial selection

    Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2018

    Named a Best Book of 2018.

  • Author recognition

    Eoin Colfer, a New York Times bestselling author

    The metadata describes Eoin Colfer as a New York Times bestselling author.

AlbakiReads Editorial

A family’s journey toward Europe, told as a graphic novel

Ebo’s journey begins in Ghana after his brother disappears while attempting to reach Europe, following the same path their sister took months earlier. Set across the Sahara, through Tripoli, and onto the sea, the story connects one family’s separation with the dangers faced by people seeking a new life. The graphic-novel format gives this fictional account a visual frame for exploring undocumented migration and its human stakes. The publisher notes that the story is based on journeys young people have experienced, placing Ebo’s fictional journey alongside real-world accounts without presenting it as nonfiction.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Kids ages 9–12 interested in graphic novels
  • Readers learning about immigration and global issues
  • Readers interested in stories about family separation and journeys across borders

Themes

Immigration and displacementFamily separation and reunionHope for a new lifeThe risks of migration

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

A powerfully moving, award-winning graphic novel that explores the current plight of undocumented immigrants from New York Times bestselling author Eoin Colfer and the team behind the Artemis Fowl graphic novels. How can a human being be illegal for simply existing?

Ebo is alone. His brother, Kwame, has disappeared, and Ebo knows it can only be to attempt the hazardous journey to Europe, and a better life--the same journey their sister set out on months ago. But Ebo refuses to be left behind in Ghana. He sets out after Kwame and joins him on the quest to reach 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 family.

An achingly poignant tale for learning about immigration and current global issues. This book is fiction, but it is based on a very real and terrible journey. There are young people who have lived this, and it is a story those young people want us to know about.

2019 Excellence in Graphic Literature Award Winner

A New York Public Library Best Book of 2018

A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2018

An Amazon Best Book of 2018

A Kirkus Reviews Best Middle Grade Graphic Novel of 2018

An American Library Association Notable Book for 2019

2019 YALSA Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens

2019 CBC Notable Social Studies Book

A Junior Library Guild Selection

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