Free?: Stories About Human Rights - Hardcover

Various

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0763647039 ISBN 13: 9780763647032

Publisher: Candlewick, 2010

Synopsis

What does it mean to be free? Top authors donate their talents to explore the question in a compelling collection to benefit Amnesty International.

A boy who thinks that school is "slavery" learns the true meaning of the word when he stumbles on a secret child-labor factory. A Palestinian boy, mute from trauma, releases kites over a wall to a hilltop settlement, each bearing a message of peace. This inspiring, engaging anthology gathers an international roster of authors to explore such themes as asylum, law, education, and faith — from a riveting tale of an attempt to find drinking water after Hurricane Katrina; to a chilling look at a future where microchips track every citizen’s every move; to a hilarious police interrogation involving the London Tower, the Crown Jewels, and a Ghanaian boy with a passion for playing marbles. Features an introduction by British writer Jacqueline Wilson.

With stories by:
David Almond
Ibtisam Barakat
Malorie Blackman
Theresa Breslin
Eoin Colfer
Roddy Doyle
Ursula Dubosarsky
Jamila Gavin
Margaret Mahy
Patricia McCormick
Michael Morpurgo
Sarah Mussi
Meja Mwangi
Rita Williams-Garcia

About this title

About the Author

Amnesty International is a nonprofit organization that works to protect human rights around the world.

Reviews

Grade 7 Up—This anthology advocates for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It has the bonus of literary merit, and—another plus—it's highly readable. Don't let the cause or political weight of the title scare readers away. Popular YA authors use their exemplary storytelling skills to present stories set in a variety of countries, including Africa, Palestine, Jerusalem, Ireland, the United States, and England. Rita Williams-Garcia's jaunty short-story-in-verse style belies the contrasting events of the Hurricane Katrina debacle. Three high school teens, bolstered by their marching-band spirit, set off to find water for their families in New Orleans. What transpires is a devastating dose of reality as they witness rescue and governance gone wrong. In David Almond's "Klaus Vogel and the Bad Lads," a pack of boys takes on the persona of tough blokes shoving about an English neighborhood during the late 1940s. Active and impulsive, they fall in with the oldest, coolest, meanest guy on the block. But when a new boy arrives from Germany, allegiances and dynamics shift. Independent Klaus is small but confident, and he risks standing up for himself. Strength of character is exposed, the group's status quo is broken, and the ability to say "no" is celebrated. Each selection cites the article(s) from the Declaration to which it relates.—Alison Follos, North Country School, Lake Placid, NY
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Short fiction by 14 prominent children’s writers from around the world dramatize the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights with contemporary personal stories about young people who are victims, perpetrators, or activists. Some entries have a heavy message, but even those will draw in readers with the facts about what is happening now. Margaret Mahy writes about class with wit and intensity, as does Jamila Gavin, who sets the class war in India, where a young girl’s family throws her out for resisting an arranged marriage and choosing a hill boy. David Almond explores school power plays in a story about a boy who says no to a popular bully. Hurricane Katrina is Rita Williams-Garcia’s setting. Two contemporary Palestinian stories compare the current occupation with Native American experiences of oppression. Occasional, stark design elements illustrate, and with each story, there is a note that highlights its connection with the Declaration of Human Rights, which is appended in its full text. Sure to spark discussion and perhaps participation in Amnesty International. Grades 7-10. --Hazel Rochman

Edition details

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0763647039
• ISBN 13: 9780763647032
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224
• Editor: Amnesty International