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No Ballet Shoes in SyriaCatherine Bruton
No Ballet Shoes in Syria
by Catherine Bruton
Aya arrives in Manchester as a refugee, minding her mother and baby brother, and finds a ballet class through an open community centre door.
A story about children and families, moving and thoughtful in tone. We would put it with children of 9–12, and at a reading age of about 10 for reading alone.
Worth knowing before you buy
- Separated from family
- Wartime separation
None of this makes it a bad book — often the opposite. It is here so you can decide whether it is right for your child now or in a year or two.
If they like this, try these
Chosen by matching age, reading age, tone and subject — not by what is selling.
Pig-Heart BoyMalorie Blackman
The Illustrated MumJacqueline Wilson
The Weight of WaterSarah Crossan
Boy, EverywhereA. M. Dassu
Refugee BoyBenjamin Zephaniah
Boy OverboardMorris Gleitzman
Or let them write their own.
Nothing gets a child reading like a story they invented themselves. Your child plans the characters and the plot, and we write, illustrate and print it as a real book with their name on the cover as the author.
Find another book
Tell us the age, the reading age and what they like, and we will suggest a handful.