These would be good for teachers to use when preparing discussions or further reading information for students. One of Australia's, and now the world's, best-known and loved children's authors, Morris Gleitzman tackles tough subjects in a funny and offbeat way . This is demonstrated when they find a safe and equal environment for Bibi and her mother, when Jamal’s parents raise money for their journey, when they risk their protection with smugglers, and when Jamal and his friends survive on the boat.

We’re alone in the middle of the ocean, a boatful of starving wailing people and three scared soldiers. And maybe it's primary purpose is to explain to children the horrifying plight of asylum seekers, and attempt to humanise an issue that xenophobic assholes spend all their efforts dehumanising. Then I remember I’m her older brother and it’s my job to be stern with her when she’s risking everyone’s safety, including hers. As Colin grapples with this information, he befriends and older gay man whose partner has AIDS, and the two of them help each other overcome their challenges.

Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives. There are several references to the 'cost' of the trial to the family, both financial and emotional. Jamal, his sister Bibi and their parents flee the Taliban with the intent to seek asylum in Australia. This one page primary resource introduces students to a range of concepts, vocabulary terms and ideas around refugees.

And as always happens when I meet young characters in my imagination, their story included another journey. Looking at the characters our protagonist interacts with can be a powerful insight into the intentions of the author.This allows them to better understand the actions of those in the book - even if they don't agree with them - and to have a greater understanding of the messages the author is sending.

This is an important question for students to ask whenever they come across text which tackles complex issues. Here, I’ve collected a range of free resources to assist you in providing background information for Boy Overboard and teaching the novel more effectively to your students. They were obsessed - we flew through this and there were so many incredible discussions that arose from it!While it might be tempting to stay far away from this - you don't always want extra controversy in the classroom - the topic can help to frame a deeper exploration of the book and the intentions of the author. I dedicated the book to them, and the friendship I have with them is one of the most precious things my writing career has given me. The play had many successful seasons in Australia and was then produced at the National Theatre in London in 1995 directed by Alan Ayckbourn, and also in South Africa, Canada, Japan and the USA.