This April, the Ed Team has been inspired by the Carnegie Medal shortlist and SDG Target 4.7, Global Citizenship. We recommend reading The Crossing by Manjeet Mann.* Every high school library should have this book to teach students about human rights and promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence. The book tells the parallel stories of Sammy, a 17-year-old boy trying to escape from Eritea, and Natalie, a 16-year-old girl who lives on the receiving end of refugees in Dover, England. Both are mourning the recent loss of parents and trying to find hope. The two stories are told simultaneously and are connected to each other. We see how Sammy suffers as he tries to reach the UK as a refugee, and how Natalie finds she must help refugees by swimming the Channel to raise money for a refugee charity. Both learn that one should “Never be afraid to speak up for what is right” and that even though refugees are “choiceless voiceless hopeless helpless,” we are all connected and can feel each other’s pain. As the author says, her book is about connection; it’s “about loss, but it is also about hope and wanting more than anything to belong and feel safe.” That’s what we all want and what everyone deserves. Her second novel, The Crossing, was published in 2021. It won the 2021 Costa Book Award for Children's Book [2] [5] and was shortlisted for numerous awards.

There is also Sammy, who has fled from his home and family in Eritrea, where if he stayed he would be forced into military service for life. He embarks on an extremely difficult journey crossing countries, hoping to reach the UK where his uncle lives to start a new life. The Crossing is the story of two young people who are living through unimaginably difficult circumstances which are totally beyond their control. Sixteen year old Natalie has lost her mother through cancer. Nat’s mother (a refugee supporter) had encouraged her in her hopes to become a professional swimmer. Now, without her, Nat is in deep grief, her father finds it difficult to cope both financially and emotionally, and her brother Ryan joins the EDL. Nat’s girlfriend Mel tries to give her sympathy and support, but it’s a heartbreaking journey. YA Book Prize 2022 – Shortlist Announced!". Literacy Hive. 28 June 2022. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023 . Retrieved 8 June 2023.A twist of fate brings them together and gives them both hope. But is hope enough to mend a broken world? This was a difficult read, made more heart-wrenching by how Sammy's story is based on true narratives. The author explains in her author's notes that she interviewed refugees and heard their stories, weaving them throughout this novel. Grief at the loss of a parent, bravery in a harsh world, and ultimately being forced to grow up too early are all expressed with heart and vivid clarity, connecting the teenagers who share common human experiences despite their wildly different circumstances. And in this, despite not saying it out loud, Mann, reminds us that "We're all built from the same dust". rounding up to 5 stars. (If there was a genre for "important books", this book would feature on that list)

Manjeet Mann is an actress and writer living in Kent, England. She also founded Run the World, "a not for profit that uses sport and theatre as a means to empower women and girls." [1] Her novel The Crossing won the 2022 Costa Book Award for Children's Book. [2] Career [ edit ]

Shortlisted for the Yoto Carnegie Medal 2022 | Shortlisted for the 2022 CLiPPA (CLPE Children’s Poetry Award) | Winner of the UKLA Book Awards 2023: 11 - 14 The Crossing is as ambitious in its structure as it is in its intertwining storylines. It is a two-voice novel from two very different protagonists.