Refuge

Brilliant in construct, compelling and extraordinarily moving, this is a book that speaks to each of us and reminds us that while we mightn't be refugees, we are all newcomers to this country and that everyone has a story worth hearing. Ages:10+ When a boat carrying a group of asylum seekers is sunk by a freak wave, Faris wakes from the shipwreck in an Australia he's always dreamed of. There are kangaroos grazing under orange trees and the sky is always blue. On a nearby beach, Faris meets a group of young people who have come from far different times and places. They are also seeking refuge, and each has their own story of why they had to leave their own story of why they had to leave their country to make a new life for themselves. IT is only when Faris chooses to return to 'real life' and find his father in Australia that he learns the extraordinary truth about the friends he made in the golden beach. From one of Australia's best-loved authors comes a remarkable story about Australia's long history of migration and the people who make up our country.