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Rating: 
Summary: It's all contingent upon your perspective.
Review: Refugee Boy is a book that can be great and mediocre. It was interesting learning about Ethiopia and Eritria in this context. The book does provide young people with a necessary world perspective. It can be a great tool for English teachers to humanize the idea of immigration. This author also opens up the world of England to students who know little about it. I think a lot of good cultural and multifaceted global discussions are created through having students read Refugee Boy. It seemed as if there were a lot of opportunities here with the subject matter to make students feel more compassionate, understanding, and interested overall in the story line/topics. Yet, it seems like Zephaniah comes up short here. The story seems to be too surface level at times, and I was never sucked into reading this book. I wonder how interested students will be in reading it in its entirety. It most definitely is not an intimidating book for students to read, so this is a plus! I give this book three stars. Don't overlook the options that this book does create for your classroom or children, but don't expect your ideas and world to be dramatically revolutionized.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting topic, wooden characters.
Review: The topic of refugees is timely and pressing. However, the characters in Refugee Boy are, at best, two-dimensional; it is impossible to empathise with them, because they do not feel real. For a book that offers engaging characters, as well as being informative, turn to Beverly Naidoo's The Other Side of Truth. The vitality and depth of the characters makes their situation much more urgent and accessible.
Rating:
Summary: It's been done better elsewhere
Review: What I liked about this book: it taught me a lot about the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea. So for its educational aspect I enjoyed it. However, the theme of African refugees in England is time-worn and cliched. Naidoo (On the Other Side of Truth, Chain of Fire) does it better and more engagingly. So if you want to have a mini-tutorial on Ethiopian/Eritrean history, read this. If you want a good book about refugees, go somewhere else.
Rating:
Summary: It's been done better elsewhere
Review: What I liked about this book: it taught me a lot about the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea. So for its educational aspect I enjoyed it. However, the theme of African refugees in England is time-worn and cliched. Naidoo (On the Other Side of Truth, Chain of Fire) does it better and more engagingly. So if you want to have a mini-tutorial on Ethiopian/Eritrean history, read this. If you want a good book about refugees, go somewhere else.
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