Boy 87

Boy 87 is a historical fiction novel by Ele Fountain about the refugee crisis in Ethiopia around the world. It is published by Little Brown. The book was written during her stay in Ethiopia because it was what inspired her to write it.

Boy 87
AuthorEle Fountain
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
GenreHistorical Fiction
PublisherLittle Brown
Publication date
2018
Media typePrint (hardcover)
Pages247 pp
ISBN978-0-316-42303-8
OCLC4975337702

Plot summary

Boy 87 stars a boy named Shif. It begins inside an unknown country with a dictatorship in place, it's like a day like any other for Shif and his best friend, 'Bini'. They are at school as a normal day goes by and discuss what they want to do when they grow up and finish their military service for the country. They are both exceedingly smart as they skipped multiple grades and are already about to begin military school.

After a few days soldiers from the west of the town begin to show up around the school, scouting Shif and Bini as their fathers were against the government and they unknowingly 'traitors'. The mother lied to Shif, claiming the father merely died at work from a work accident.

Weeks go by after the story begins and Shif begins to notice the military spying on him, he runs away when one soldier confronts him. Shif runs away from the soldier and back home. Things begin to escalate when Bini doesn't arrive to school the next day, then when he arrives home his mother tells him he has to leave without his mother and sister since the government is after him. When they pack everything to leave the soldiers enter his home and search for evidence of them leaving, just as they find it he is sent onto a truck leading to a prison along with his best friend Bini found when the raid of Shif's house begun.

They are lacking of thirst as they are on the truck for a full day straight until they finally reach a prison used with cargo containers to imprison traitors. They are thrown inside the same cargo container along with 6 other prisoners that have been there for over a decade. The 6 prisoners explain to them both of the rules and how it works, as well as where they are as they are very confused and thirsty. they are forced to march in the desert as 1 of the prisoners silently explains an escape plan for him. After the march 1 prisoner also reveals that his father may be alive after all since he was sent to the same prison 14 years ago.

As soon as they launch it into action after discussing it inside the cargo container, he makes a run for it while the 6 prisoners make a distraction before promptly being gunned down by the guards. Shif escapes though without a trace of Bini as he loses him. He is forces to make it north towards the Mediterranean Sea to escape to Italy and wait for his family there.

He avoids soldiers searching the area for the escaped convict and he is able to sneak a row boat to the Mediterranean Sea after a few rough days without food nor water. He escapes with 3 other convicts who are seeking to also leave Africa with him.

Storms and starvation kill off 1 man and 1 injured as Shif struggles to survive the madness of the storm upon their row boat.

Shif finally makes it to Italy where he sees his mother and sister but was never able to find out where his father was, which is the falling action of the story.[1]

Characters

Shif: The main character of the story, a very smart kid who was unlucky enough to have a father who opposed the government and wanted more pay. His best friend in 'Bini'. The story is focused mainly on him for the majority of the story. He has a little sister, who he finds very annoying, and of course a mother who cares for him

Bini: The main character's friend, is also very smart (maybe even smarter than Shif) and has the same fate as Shif as he attempts to stick alongside Shif's side as much as he can to support him. His mother's name isn't stated and he has no siblings.

Yonas: The character who helps out Shif and Bini escape the prison. He is old and has been in the prison for years for being a traitor, he is promptly shot down later in the story.

Lemlem: Shif's sister and plays a side role. Not much is known about her but she is whiny and young.

Reception

Kirkus Reviews called Boy 87 "A suspenseful debut novel about the forces of greed and love that shape a refugee’s fate.",[2] and a BookTrust review described it as ".. a timely and important book which illuminates the realities of life as a refugee."[3]

Boy 87 has also been reviewed by Publishers Weekly,[4] The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books,[5] The Sunday Times,[6] and The Guardian.[7]

Awards

Boy 87 has won, been shortlisted, for British book awards including the 2019 Southwark Book Award (winner),[8] the 2019 Waterstones Children's Book Prize for older readers (shortlisted),[9] the 2018 Northeast Book Award (shortlisted),[10] the 2019 Portsmouth Book Award Longer Novel (winner),[11] the 2019 Sheffield Children’s Book Award Longer Novel (winner),[12] the 2019 Teach Primary Key Stage 2 Book Award (shortlist),[13] the 2019 Warwickshire Secondary Book Award (shortlist),[14] the 2019 Sefton Super Reads Award (winner),[15] the 2019 North Herts Schools’ Book Award in the Younger category (shortlisted),[16] and the 2019 Redbridge Children’s Teenage Book Award (longlist).[17]

Boy 87 was also longlisted for the 2019 UKLA (Ages 7-11) Book Award.[18]

gollark: What now?
gollark: Paying them a lot is actually somewhat good in that it hopefully attracts better people, and makes them less likely to take money from others.
gollark: > If they're fit to rule they will survive.I mean, kind of? If you randomly remove governments *somehow* when they run into some kind of issue, I figure you would introduce far more problems.
gollark: That would probably be bad. Governments do important things. Sometimes.
gollark: Big governments are ALWAYS in debt. They seem to magically materialize money somehow.

References
  1. Fountain, Ele (6 November 2018). [LBYR.com Boy 87] Check |url= value (help). United Kingdom: Little Brown. p. 247. ISBN 978-0-316-42303-8. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  2. "Refugee 87". Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus Media LLC. 1 April 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  3. "Boy 87". booktrust.org.uk. BookTrust. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  4. "Refugee 87". Publishers Weekly. PWxyz LLC. 11 April 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019. ... Shif’s blunt and sympathetic voice turns today’s headlines into one compassionate and resilient boy’s experience.
  5. Wendy Jacques (June 2019). "Fountain, Ele Refugee 87 (subscription required)". The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. Johns Hopkins University Press. 72 (10): 431, 432. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  6. Nicolette Jones (8 April 2018). "Children's book of the week: Boy 87 by Ele Fountain (subscription required)". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  7. Imogen Russell Williams (28 April 2018). "Children's and teens roundup: the best new picture books and novels". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 December 2019. Full of tension, fear, heartbreak and hope,...
  8. "Welcome to the Southwark Book Award 2019 - This year's winner: Boy 87 by Ele Fountain". outhwarkbookawardblog.wordpress.com. Southwark Book Award. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  9. "Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2019: Older Fiction Shortlist". waterstones.com. Waterstones Booksellers Limited. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  10. "Category - NEBA 2018: The Shortlist for NEBA 2018". nebookawards.org.uk. Northeast Book Award. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  11. "Portsmouth's Book Award Ceremony". expressfm.com. Express FM. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  12. "'Boy at the back of the class' wins 31st Sheffield Children's Book Awards". sheffieldnewsroom.co.uk. Sheffield City Council. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  13. "The Shortlists Have Been Announced!: Key Stage 2". teachwire.net. Aceville Publications Ltd. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  14. "Warwickshire Secondary Book Award 2019 - Sign up now!". sls.warwickshire.gov.uk. Warwickshire School Library Service. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  15. "Sefton Super Reads 2019". merchanttaylors.com. The Merchant Taylors' School. 5 April 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  16. "Library News" (PDF). newsletter. Hitchin Boys' School. April 2019. p. 3. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  17. "Redbridge Children's Book Awards". redbridge.gov.uk. London Borough of Redbridge. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  18. "Longlists Announced For The 2019 UKLA Book Awards". ukla.org. UK Literary Association. 10 September 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
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