Description
Each kid only has one pair of shoes here. Number 49's shoes are a pretty good fit for me and I know they're new because they still have that plastic smell. But the real Number 49 is quite a bit bigger than I am, because his pants keep falling down on me. I wish he would come back, so that I could go home.
Jack loves telling jokes, but not many people laugh at them in the orphanage. Will he ever be reunited with his mother and sister, his great-aunts and great-grandmother, back at home? A haunting, fable-like story.
Review
This is a really sensitive look at the Stolen Generation.
Told through the eyes of Jack, a small boy who is taken form his family and left at the orphanage. Jack knows his family love him dearly and he is sure there has been a mistake and he will soon be home.
He decides to try and make people happy by telling jokes to keep his morale up, but it's hard to smile when everyone is sad.
Jack has a remarkable personality and a resilience far beyond his years. This will be a perfect starting point for classroom discussion and will suit students Year 7 and up.
This book was included in our May 2014 Secondary Standing Order selection.
Reviewed by Michelle
