Two Sparrowhawks in a Lonely Sky
by Rebecca Lim
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Pub Date Aug 29 2023 | Archive Date Jun 25 2023
Allen & Unwin | A&U Children
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Description
After their family encounters terrible hardship in rural China, siblings Fu and Pei must draw on all their resilience and courage as they embark on a dangerous journey towards a better life. A compelling and poignant children's novel from the CBCA award-winning author of Tiger Daughter.
What if you were forced to set sail for a country that didn't want you, to meet a father you couldn't remember?
Thirteen-year-old Fu, his younger sister, Pei, and their mother live in a small rural community in Southern China that is already enduring famine conditions when it is collectivised as part of Mao Zedong's Great Leap Forward campaign that ultimately led to economic disaster, widespread famine and millions of deaths.
After tragedy strikes, and threatened with separation, Fu and Pei set out on a perilous journey across countries and oceans to find their father, who left for Australia almost a decade earlier. With nothing to guide them but a photograph and some letters in a language they cannot read, they must draw on all their courage and tenacity just to survive - and perhaps forge a better life for themselves.
An unforgettable story of family, resilience and the complex Asian-Australian experience from the esteemed author of Tiger Daughter, winner of the CBCA Book of the year for Older Readers.
Available Editions
| ISBN | 9781761180224 |
| PRICE | A$17.99 (AUD) |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 1185942
<b>Thoughts:</b>
- I wish I had more Australian stories like this when I was a kid... Australian stories that focus on the experiences of migrants and their often heartbreaking reasons for leaving. Australian stories that portray other cultures without objectifying them. Australian stories that are brutally honest about our spotty history of racially-driven immigration policies. Australian stories that tell short, prickly little Asian girls that it's okay to be angry at injustice, so long as that anger doesn't burn people. Australian stories showing kids that kindness can sometimes be found in unexpected places (and hopefully prompting them to go and <i>be</i> that kind person where possible).
- Overall, I really enjoyed <i>Two Sparrowhawks</i>. It had me in tears about 1/3 of the way in, and although Fu and Pei encounter some suspiciously happy coincidences, I don't think that made the story any less impactful. The author's note at the end was also well-written and helpful.
- Beyond Fu and Pei's journey itself, there are heaps of other things that would be good for discussion in a classroom setting, such as history, cultural identity, racism, gendered violence, migration and displacement, kindness vs. cruelty, etc. Not a teacher, but I can imagine this book being taught in upper primary (focusing on culture and migrant stories) and high school (maybe focusing on Australian migration policy in early high school and modern Chinese history for seniors). I reckon this would be a great book to include on reading lists with others like Nam Le's <i>The Boat</i>.
Note: this review is based on a pre-release copy provided by Allen & Unwin through NetGalley.
