Horror stories of immigrants trying to escape in order for a chance at a better life have graced several pages in the newspaper and online. Recent policy changes regarding immigration have reignited the hot topic of immigration in the United States and Europe. While some have welcomed immigrants, others have not.

Illegal is a resonating and timely graphic novel that humanizes an immigrant's plight. The graphic novel is told in two different timelines. In the present Ebo and his brother Kwame along with 12 other people are aboard a leaking dinghy made for six, are desperately trying to reach Italian shores. In the past timeline we are given a road map to all the steps Ebo and Kwame have taken to get to the dinghy: their parents have died, their sole caretaker Uncle Patrick is always drunk and unable to care for them, and their older sister Sisi has made her way to Italy in search of a better life. Both brothers want to reunite with her and get a fresh start. The transition between the two timelines are jarring. There were multiple of times where it took me out of the story. A linear narrative approach would have worked better.

The brothers have endured a harrowing journey through the Sahara Desert to Tripoli, Libya, hoping to cross the Mediterranean and land as refugees. The horrors Ebo witnesses especially with the cruelties of human smugglers who value money more than human life, dehydration and hunger, as well as the impossibilities he survives constitute a haunting testimony to the human spirit. Though the graphic novel is not based on one particular person, but a composite of people who have endured this journey, it is eye opening, engaging, and will hopefully educate people that refugees are not statistics and no human is illegal.

I loved the artwork and how it complimented the story. As an American, we don't often hear of the immigration stories of Africa to Europe so I hope American libraries/readers pick this title up since it gives another voice to the immigration stories we're seeing in the headlines. Colfer does a good job of taking on a really serious and important topic but making it accessible for his typical younger readers. Being short and sweet I could see this title being a good conversation starter for any sort of immigration debate.

An amazing story, well-told, and compelling. The graphics are the best. They emphasize how young these kids really are. Humanize them in a way that words alone can not do. The extras are great too. Another complete story of a young woman on her own journey. The additional sketches show how much work goes into a book like this. The subject matter is tough and not sugar-coated. I can really see this resounding with middle schoolers and higher. Totally worth finding.

A first foray into the graphic novel genre for me and I really enjoyed it!
Illegal tells the story of Ebo and Kwame, through the eyes of Ebo. His sister left their North African home in search of a better life in Europe months ago and now he's woken up to find his brother gone too. What follows is his journey by bus, jeep, foot and boat in a bid to find his family and a happier life.

Told with alternating 'then' and 'now' chapters, we first meet Ebo as he's on an inflatable dinghy, before going back several weeks to the moment he realised his brother was gone. We keep flipping between the journey across the sea, and the events that led them to be there.

The detailed pictures said all they needed to, expressing the emotion and danger faced by the characters.

The story left the read with an important message about the experiences of migrants and refugees who have left their homes in search of a safer and happier future. It is important to note that the sensitive nature of some of the content makes it inappropriate for younger children, and it would be necessary to be aware of the experiences of the children you were teaching in case they were sensitive to the content.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. This review contains spoilers.

While I am intrigued by graphic novels, I have not met many that have grabbed me and forced me to think after finishing the novel; however, Eion Colfer and Andrew Donkin’s Illegal does just that.

Though many graphic novels tell riveting stories, Illegal recounts eye-opening moments, but it also opens up middle school minds to the aspect of immigrants and the harsh experiences many go through to find a better life. The reader follows the terrifying journey of Ebo and Kwame, two brothers from Ghana, from finding a way to be smuggled across the desert to crossing the treacherous ocean to get to Europe (freedom.).

Illegal goes back and forth from between the life of Ebo on land and that of trying to survive on an overly crowded boat carrying immigrants to Europe. Because the authors and illustrator chose to focus on those two settings, halfway through the novel you learn about the death of one of the characters. Though I do like this premise and taking the risk to tell the experience through this lens, I feel part of the joy is discovering this death much closer to the end of the novel. I did appreciate that the small twist at the end was kept until the last couple of pages of the novel, rather than drawing it out and telling the reader how everything ended happily as Colfer and Donkin could have done (but thankfully they didn’t). With mostly success, they brought the oftentimes sad life of an immigrant journey to the reader to experience as they paralleled that journey to the reader’s journey uncovering the story of Ebo and Kwame.

Overall, this story will capture the attention of so many young adults as they learn about the immigrant experience. This is one graphic novel that I plan to add to my classroom library soon!

In Illegal, we follow the journey of Ebo and Kwame from Ghana to Europe. They are trying to escape their home country and create a better life for themselves in Europe. However, to do so they face many obstacles and hardships.

Illegal is a very realistic portrayal of what millions of immigrants deal with when trying to escape war torn countries or persecution based on things they cannot control. Ebo is a realistic character, and I really felt for him throughout this graphic novel. The art is also very beautiful and portrays the characters emotions very well. I would definitely recommend this graphic novel to everyone.

3.5/5 stars. I really loved this graphic novel. It was emotional in a way I wasn’t expecting. This novel tells the story of Ebo, a boy from Africa who has just found out this his brother has left to try to make a life in Italy, and will eventually send him money. Their sister, Sisi, is already there so they are hoping for a reunion.

Because most of this novel takes place either on the sea or outside trekking across Africa, I definitely felt the struggle and emotional toll that having your life constantly in upheaval which these siblings go through without a break. Things seem to go wrong for them at every turn, and it feels unfair and so sad.

I think this novel was very straightforward in its goal to inform readers about this inhumane struggle that many Africans are going through just to get a shot a better life in some way. It makes me want to appreciate everything I have so much more, because the lengths they will clearly go to to get away from their home is incredible. It was a good choice to have the main character of the novel be a child, because that made all of the heartache and struggles even more hard-hitting. It would be good for middle grade children to educate them about this situation in Africa. “Illegal” really made me think and I enjoyed it very much.

Ebo and his brother Kwame live in a small impoverished African village with their drunk uncle who has cared for them since their mother passed away and sister had left. When Ebo wakes up to find Kwame has left the village to travel and seek refuge in Europe, Ebo works hard to follow and find him.

Chronicling numerous small triumphs, but even more heartbreaking losses, this graphic novel packs a great deal of raw emotion into a very short amount of pages. Being on the liberal side of the spectrum, I can't understand how people can turn a blind eye to refugees, and this story is a prime example of the hardships that they may face. My only gripe was that the end of the novel felt a bit rushed, and the more positive aspect of the ending didn't allow me to properly recover from the events prior, but perhaps that was Colfer's point. Overall, a very quick read with a great deal of heavy and interesting content that you will certainly read in one sitting.

Ebo’s brother Kwame has left town to try and get to Europe and find their sister who did the same thing a while ago. There’s no one left in town for Ebo except his drunk uncle, so he sets off across the Sahara to try and catch up with Kwame. He must scrimp and scrounge, survive horrific traveling conditions and people out to take advantage of him.

Colfer and Dunkin wrote this to bring awareness to the fact that thousands of migrants and refugees are dying in trying to cross from North Africa to Europe. It is a harrowing and hard read, but it is important to better understand what drives someone to take such a desperate gamble. I kinda wish they had picked a war refugee instead of a migrant for the main character as I think that would build more empathy but hopefully Ebo will suffice. They do a good job of portraying how people take advantage of these desperate travelers without getting into any lurid situations. I’m not sure how realistic it is about many of these people getting to stay in Europe that actually do make it. My guess is that those who aren’t granted refugee status and don’t have relatives in Europe willing to support them would get deported. That isn’t touched on at all. So some further education on the refugee status process and immigration process would be needed for kids to truly understand how these things works. But it is a good read for middle grade and young adults who want to at least better understand current human rights issues.

Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. Several deaths from exposure and starvation/dehydration and drowning. One death from gunshot hinted at, though not shown on page.

<i>I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Powerful, timely, and sad. Ebo and his brother are refugees. The graphic novel follows their dangerous journey across the Sahara, through Tripoli, and on a sea voyage to Europe. The illustrations are beautiful and moving.

Great graphic novel to teach middle grade students about the lives of immigrants and how hard it is to escape and survive.

This was a heart wrenching story. The illustrations are on point and have emotional weight. The characters and situations seem real. I was saddened by Ebo's loss at the end though he did survive his journey. I think it would be great for a children's or young adult collection at a public library. Probably more of a middle to high school book for school libraries/subject matter.

I would love for a volume of refuge tales like the one at the end of the book (black and white illustrations). I think accounts from refuges on the same journey and structured like Joe Sacco's Palestine would be interesting. Or it could be collections of stories with a map of their journey on the back. Some could be the tales of people who didn't make it told by those who did.

Illegal by Eoin Colfer is so powerful! It tells the story of Ebo who is a refugee hoping to make his way to Europe and freedom. Told in a then/now format, the story builds in suspense and worry as we learn more about the perilous journey he is on and where he came from.

With a powerful narrative and amazing illustrations, I think this falls under the must have graphic novels of 2018!

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Jabberwocky for the eARC of this powerful book.
This graphic novel tells the story of a young boy, Ebo who flees his homeland to try to make a new life in Europe. He travels through the Sahara Desert & has to avoid being arrested or killed at every turn.
The fact that this is a graphic novel makes this book both more accessible and more powerful. It is easy to picture the kind-hearted Ebo when hearing about other children who have been forced to flee their homes. This book is such an important addition to middle grade literature on the plight of refugees.

Compelling, fact-based graphic fiction, and a welcome addition to a global awareness curriculum. I appreciated the use of flashbacks to detail Ebo's perilous journey, so that younger or more sensitive readers know he survived. Still, the story doesn't hold any punches -- this was definitely an emotionally wrenching read, as it should be. Read a two part ARC, and I look forward to seeing the incorporation of the back-matter into the text.

This middle-grade graphic novel about refugee brothers crossing the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea on their way to Europe in search of a better life was absolutely beautiful, absolutely tragic, and, ultimately, absolutely important.

3.5/5 stars

Illegal is a fictionalized account of the dangerous refugee experience of Ebo, a 12-year-old boy from a small village in Ghana. Told in dual timelines of “now”, on a rubber raft in the Mediterranean, and “then”, Ebo’s journey to the Mediterranean, Illegal doesn’t skimp on the difficulties that refugees endure. Ebo lives on the street, faces death multiple times, experiences hunger and dehydration under the desert sun, bargains with violent smugglers, and more. Ebo originally leaves his village in search of his brother Kwanzaa and sister Sisi, but will he find them and will they all make it to Europe safely?

The illustrations in this graphic novel are beautiful. However, the dual timelines are not necessary. It would be more accessible if told strictly in chronological order. Additionally, compared to Alan Gratz’s similar book, Refugee, Gratz’s is clearly the superior book. I definitely empathized with Ebo and Kwame, but I wasn’t as compelled by their story as I was with Mahmoud’s tale in Refugee.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is one of the most compelling graphic novels for MG/YA that I've ever read. Ebo is a young boy from Ghana who must make his way across the Sahara Desert in order to find his brother Kwame. They both have one goal: find a way to Europe and reunite with their sister who has already escaped. I found myself on the edge of hope with every page. I was so drawn in to the story that I stayed up to read it all in one night. I would put this in the hands of every 5th grader I know. It is so timely and so needed in our current climate.

The Review:
Illegal is a graphic novel by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin, with a primary audience of children (probably ages ten and up), and this is the kind of book that every child should have access to. 

Colfer and Donkin trace the fictional path of Ebo, a young Ghanian boy, as he makes his way to Europe in search of his siblings Kwame and Sisi. Ebo encounters sickness and peril on his journey, all written by Colfer (of Artemis Fowl fame) and Donkin (DC comics work) and illustrated by Giovanni Rigano. The illustrations are beautifully colored, with lots of wide shots to give readers an idea of what kinds of places Ebo travels through. 

Colfer starts the book with an epigraph from Elie Wiesel's "no human being is illegal" quote. What this graphic novel does, even more than a traditional novel would, is let a young (or not-so-young) reader place themselves in the shoes of an immigrant attempting to find refuge. In this particular story, the person is a young Ghanain boy seeking Italy's shores, but the wider message is applicable to all people searching for safety. 

In short, beautiful illustrations of a fictional, but realistic, story. Highly recommended.