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The Unforgotten Coat by Frank Cottrell Boyce (view source)
Revision as of 13:45, 10 December 2011
, 13:45, 10 December 2011Created page with '{{infobox |title=The Unforgotten Coat |sort=Unforgotten Coat |author=Frank Cottrell Boyce |reviewer=Jill Murphy |genre=Confident Readers |summary=Gorgeous and slightly surreal st…'
{{infobox
|title=The Unforgotten Coat
|sort=Unforgotten Coat
|author=Frank Cottrell Boyce
|reviewer=Jill Murphy
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=Gorgeous and slightly surreal story about friendship, difference and enrichment. And a more-than-welcome antidote to anti-immigration rhetoric.
|rating=4.5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|paperback=1406331791
|ebook=B005HOZ8UQ
|audiobook=1455822264
|hardback=1406333859
|pages=112
|publisher=Walker
|website=http://thereader.org.uk/
|date=September 2011
|isbn=1406333859
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1406333859</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>1406333859</amazonus>
|video=TetZG24lFg0
}}
Julie lives in Bootle and is in her last year of primary school. She's like every little girl, hoping to be invited to her friends' houses for tea and just beginning to think about boys. She's never thought much about the world outside Bootle but the arrival of Chingis and his younger brother Nergui is about to change all that. The two boys are nomads from Mongolia and they arrive at school on a hot summer's day, wearing traditional Mongolian furry coats and hats. Taking a shine to Julie, Chingis appoints her his ''Good Guide'' to the UK. And in return he tells her stories of horsemen and eagles and shows her Polaroid photos of a land far away.
But the two boys are afraid. They believe a demon is chasing them and so they are secretive, taking a different route home from school each day and baking offerings to deflect the evil spirit.
There's a lot more to this short but important tale but I've probably told you too much already. Suffice it to say that Julie is in for a shock, the kind of shock she'll remember for the rest of her life.
''The Unforgotten Coat'' is funny and original and slightly surreal. It speaks about nostalgia, friendship and the enrichment of lives by other lives, and it explores the deeply divisive issue of immigration without getting on a soapbox but equally without sitting on the fence. And it's beautifully-written. I can't imagine a single child or adult to whom I wouldn't recommend it.
Much as I loved this gorgeous little story, I am going to have a moan. I bought it on Kindle. Don't you do the same. The photos taken by Chingis are an important part of both the story and the physical book. They're real Poloroid photos, taken by Carl Hunter and Clare Heney, and they need to be seen properly. But no real effort has been taken to make them Kindle-friendly - they're blurred and fuzzy - and I lost some of the story's impact because of it. There are also blank pages - fine in a print book, but confusing on a Kindle as you think something's gone wrong, and these should have been taken out.
This format is the future, you publisher guys, even for children's books, and even for children's books that rely on illustrations. I think you should have got with the program by now.
Don't let this put you of ''The Unforgotten Coat'', though. It's fantastic. Just don't buy it on Kindle.
Oh, and before I forget - Frank based this story on a real-life visit to a school in Bootle and wrote it for [http://thereader.org.uk The Reader Organisation], a fantastic charity promoting literature as a vital life skill. You should go and check them out.
Other super stories about young people new to the UK include [[Tall Story by Candy Gourlay]] and [[Angel Cake by Cathy Cassidy]].
{{amazontext|amazon=1406333859}} {{waterstonestext|waterstones=8564326}}
{{commenthead}}
[[Category:Teens]]
|title=The Unforgotten Coat
|sort=Unforgotten Coat
|author=Frank Cottrell Boyce
|reviewer=Jill Murphy
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=Gorgeous and slightly surreal story about friendship, difference and enrichment. And a more-than-welcome antidote to anti-immigration rhetoric.
|rating=4.5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|paperback=1406331791
|ebook=B005HOZ8UQ
|audiobook=1455822264
|hardback=1406333859
|pages=112
|publisher=Walker
|website=http://thereader.org.uk/
|date=September 2011
|isbn=1406333859
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1406333859</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>1406333859</amazonus>
|video=TetZG24lFg0
}}
Julie lives in Bootle and is in her last year of primary school. She's like every little girl, hoping to be invited to her friends' houses for tea and just beginning to think about boys. She's never thought much about the world outside Bootle but the arrival of Chingis and his younger brother Nergui is about to change all that. The two boys are nomads from Mongolia and they arrive at school on a hot summer's day, wearing traditional Mongolian furry coats and hats. Taking a shine to Julie, Chingis appoints her his ''Good Guide'' to the UK. And in return he tells her stories of horsemen and eagles and shows her Polaroid photos of a land far away.
But the two boys are afraid. They believe a demon is chasing them and so they are secretive, taking a different route home from school each day and baking offerings to deflect the evil spirit.
There's a lot more to this short but important tale but I've probably told you too much already. Suffice it to say that Julie is in for a shock, the kind of shock she'll remember for the rest of her life.
''The Unforgotten Coat'' is funny and original and slightly surreal. It speaks about nostalgia, friendship and the enrichment of lives by other lives, and it explores the deeply divisive issue of immigration without getting on a soapbox but equally without sitting on the fence. And it's beautifully-written. I can't imagine a single child or adult to whom I wouldn't recommend it.
Much as I loved this gorgeous little story, I am going to have a moan. I bought it on Kindle. Don't you do the same. The photos taken by Chingis are an important part of both the story and the physical book. They're real Poloroid photos, taken by Carl Hunter and Clare Heney, and they need to be seen properly. But no real effort has been taken to make them Kindle-friendly - they're blurred and fuzzy - and I lost some of the story's impact because of it. There are also blank pages - fine in a print book, but confusing on a Kindle as you think something's gone wrong, and these should have been taken out.
This format is the future, you publisher guys, even for children's books, and even for children's books that rely on illustrations. I think you should have got with the program by now.
Don't let this put you of ''The Unforgotten Coat'', though. It's fantastic. Just don't buy it on Kindle.
Oh, and before I forget - Frank based this story on a real-life visit to a school in Bootle and wrote it for [http://thereader.org.uk The Reader Organisation], a fantastic charity promoting literature as a vital life skill. You should go and check them out.
Other super stories about young people new to the UK include [[Tall Story by Candy Gourlay]] and [[Angel Cake by Cathy Cassidy]].
{{amazontext|amazon=1406333859}} {{waterstonestext|waterstones=8564326}}
{{commenthead}}
[[Category:Teens]]