This graphic novel, by the author of the Artemis Fowl series, Eoin Colfer, explores the immigrant's plight from the viewpoint of a boy from a village in west Africa. The harsh realities faced by those trying to make their way from Africa to Europe are illustrated in a serious, thought-provoking manner. Although readers will most likely feel sympathy for the immigrants portrayed in the story, some may wonder about the toll the flood of immigrants is taking on the resources of Europe and other areas around the world. How might immigration laws be improved? What might be some possible solutions? There is no easy answer, but it would have been a more well-balanced approach if the author had included statistics related to cost of accommodating the refugees, and perhaps included a list of humanitarian organizations that are working to try to provide some relief, so that readers might be able to take some action to provide assistance in some way.

Truly exceptional artwork. Marvelous and important story really, really well told. Such a fantastic way to show the difficult journey refugees make to get from Africa to Europe. Perfect for middle schoolers!

Makes the immigrant experience/story accessible for children. I would recommend to middle grade patrons.

It is fiction but all the separate elements are true and the reader will learn all about the multitude of many thousands of innocent men, women and children and what they encountered in order to make the 300 mile sea crossing between Norther Africa and Italy.
Very well written and illustrated graphic novel.

An incredibly moving story well written/represented for younger audiences. I appreciated that the author took time to explore primary resources when crafting this graphic novel. The story tackles the hard truths of the refugee crisis, but does so with an extremely relatable and well-developed main character.

A heart-breaking story of African (originally from Ghana) brothers trying to cross the desert and the Mediterranean to find their sister in Europe, told in two timelines in graphic novel format. I loved the Elie Wiesel quote asking how human beings can be illegal? The reader goes through the ordeal and loss with Ebo, the horrible conditions and inhumanity of those taking advantage of their desperation.

The theme of the book could not be any more important or relevant than it is right now. This is exactly the type of story that needs to be told and exactly the type of story that needs to be heard. We need literature to fight open up an understanding of suffering and allow for more compassion to creep back into society at all levels.

However, this book finds a way of telling the story in such fragmented, un-moving and disjointed parts that it succeeds only in trivialising the harrowing refugee experience. We are left with a book which seems to care little about many of its characters in favour of just one protagonist. We are offered a fictional story which chooses to show many refugees in a bad light and only a small group wanting to do the right thing. And in the end, it becomes difficult to feel really sympathy for a group who have so little character development that we cannot bond with them. There are no characters deep enough to make the reader will for them to succeed or even believe in them as being realistic.

The end note of the book about this being a work of fiction but with an underlying truth leaves me wondering, if this sort of story is common (and I don't doubt it is), how much more powerful could it be to make a graphic novel telling the real stories of real people suffering through this crisis?

Illegal is a touching story about a boy named Ebo and the obstacles he faces as a refugee trying to reconnect with his siblings.

This graphic novel tells a story of pain, suffering, perseverance, and overcoming many obstacles to have a chance at a better life. The tale of the two brothers trying to make the dangerous journey to Europe to become reunited with their sister shows the reader all the ordeals that an immigrant might face. This novel is a great educational tool that I hope many will utilize!

Great story, well told. The creators included how they completed their research and even have a section with one of the real life interviews they did. I learned a lot and I hope there are more stories like this soon. Good for middle and high school libraries. Thank you to NetGalley for the book!

I received an electronic ARC from Sourcebooks. This YA graphic novel from author Eoin Colfer takes us on a powerful and emotional journey. Young Ebo’s older brother Kwame has set off from Africa for Europe to find their oldest sister who has already made the trip. Ebo leaves his home (leaving only an alcoholic uncle behind) to find his brother, so they can travel to Europe together. What follows is a perilous journey told between the present and flashbacks of Ebo leaving his home and working to get enough money to embark on each leg of his trip. The art is raw, the text easy to follow, and the story while a work of fiction is based on realistic situations. Colfer clearly depicts the risks migrants make for a better life, for any life. Highly recommended for middle grade, teen, and adult readers alike.

Illegal is a riveting graphic novel depicting the the quest of Ebo, an orphaned boy armed with only a gift for singing and an ironclad determination to follow his older siblings to Europe. Older brother Kwame has left him a note promising that he will send a helicopter to reunite them. The plot and the graphics complement each other perfectly to create a realistic, dramatic, and essential look at the plight of refugees today.

Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin portray the plight of undocumented immigrants in this heartbreaking graphic novel. Ebo, a young boy from Ghana sets out on a harrowing journey to find his older brother and hopefully reach their sister in Europe. The journey is perilous and brings forth many types of danger and at times joy (Ebo finds his older brother), yet the finality is a mixture of literal joy and pain. Throughout we see Ebo's courage and love of singing shine through and push him to continue on.

Wow, this graphic novel is stunning. I would love to use this as a supplementary text for our personal narrative unit when we read excerpts from Enrique's Journey and look at different immigration perspectives. I loved this novel.

What a gem of a book! The tone is exactly right, we come to feel the fears, hopes, exhilaration and live through the trauma of Ebo, as he searches for his brother who has headed off to try and get to Europe as a refugee. This is only the beginning though, after rejoicing at finding Kwame, he is then trying to earn enough money to gain passage on a boat for them to go together to Europe, where they hope to find their sister. It is hard to read, and it is quite an emotional experience for the reader to see their struggle in the pages of this gorgeously illustrated graphic novel. Hard, because for every good thing that happens to them, several terrible experiences occur to them. I felt a bit like I needed to take a break from the suffering at times. This was especially the case when they were sleeping in a water pipe which at any time might gush huge tons of water and drown them in their sleep. Gahhhh that was horrible.

This book is a must have addition to a secondary school library, you’ll probably need several copies, Social Studies teachers will use it with their classes studying refugees, art students will be drawn to the gorgeously drawn comics. Readers will enjoy, yet be horrified by, the experiences of the brothers. I liked so much about it. I liked the way that the authors didn’t shy away from the horror of the experiences of these people, I loved the change in tone in the colouring, which indicated the timelines and which made the then and now seperate, and yet relevant to the ongoing action in both storylines. This is clever but not too clever for it’s own good. I love that this graphic novel isn’t trying too hard, it just gets on with the stark story and draws you in. The fames are so well placed and the story is clear.

I’d love to see another story from this team on a social issue. Take a look at the clip below to see the beauty and sadness. Turn the sound up!

The Artemis Fowl graphic novel team assembles to bring readers a powerful, emotional story about the struggles of undocumented immigrants: in this story, three African siblings. Ebo's alone. Orphaned and living in squalor, his sister set out months ago to find her way to Europe and a better life, promising to send for Ebo and their brother, Kwame, when she gets settled. But the boys can't wait any longer, and Kwame sets out next. Ebo follows Kwame, and the brothers endure a journey across the Sahara Desert to find their way to the sea. The journey is inhumane, often unbearable, but Ebo will not be denied. He deals with loss, hunger, and thirst; filthy living conditions; and brutal treatment by nature and man, but he holds out hope to be reunited with his sister, and the promise of a better life somewhere else.

There's been quite a bit of attention focused on undocumented immigrants, and it's a conversation we need to continue. War, disease, poverty, and hunger are global problems that force men, women, and children to undergo unthinkable scenarios for the sole purpose of cultivating a better life. Illegal, while fictional, is inspired by true events: just pick up a newspaper or turn on the news. Ebo's story is one story of millions: the United Nations records 65.6 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide. Told in Ebo's voice, readers will feel like they are reading a private journal. His voice is strong and clear, and evokes anger, grief, and the desire to do more. The artwork supports the text, laying out the slums of an African neighborhood; the devastating stretch of desert, and the terrifying expanse of the ocean. Ebo's face will stay with readers long after they finish the book.

Illegal should be on every middle school and/or high school's Summer Reading list, and needs to be discussed in our classrooms and in our homes. The book is currently out in the UK, and there are teaching materials online, including this downloadable one from the U.S. publisher, Sourcebooks. Author Andrew Donkin has articles about Illegal on his website, and Eoin Colfer has the US and UK covers on his website. Entertainment Weekly has a featured excerpt and The Guardian made it the Children's Book of the Week when it was published in the UK in October 2017.

Illegal was shortlisted for the 2017 Irish Book Awards and was chosen for EmpathyLabUK's Read for Empathy List.

Ebo and his older brother Kwame have traveled across the African desert to reach the coast, where they hope to catch a boat to Europe. Their journey has been dangerous: They've been betrayed, left to die, taken ill, and almost discovered. When they finally make enough money to purchase a boat ride across, their journey across the sea--in a crowded balloon boat--is equally as treacherous.

The characters in this story, especially Ebo, are so full of hope and endurance and humanity, despite what they've been through. I was moved by the care and trust between Ebo and Kwame, and by Ebo's observations of other refugees on the journey. I learned a lot about what refugees must endure before they even set foot on a boat. Although I enjoyed the illustrations of the landscape and other objects, I had some trouble distinguishing among characters' faces. Overall, this is a timely and important story that will speak to young readers.

A compelling story, great for teens and tweens. Heartbreaking at times, but tells the story of so many thousands of refugees travelling to a better life.

This graphic novel does an amazing job capturing the subject matter (immigration from Africa to Europe). Ebo, the main character, leaves his village in Ghana to follow his brother. They face many challenges in various locations along the way, particularly from human traffickers. The novel shows both the best and worst of humanity - people with almost nothing sharing what they do have, and others who prey on everyone around them in heinous ways. The illustration style was well-matched with the narrative. It alternated between panoramic-type shots, which highlighted how small humans are against the desert/sea/sky, and close-ups, such as of everyone's feet when they were packed onto a ship. I intend to order this for my academic library collection, as it's a good jumping off point for discussion of lots of different topics.

A moving account of a story that appears, incompletely, all too often in the media today. Eoin Colfer is a powerful voice here that really encourages the reader to put themselves in Ebo’s shoes and not just sit and judge at a distance, and the illustrations really bring this story to life.