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THE UNFORGOTTEN COAT

Tibetan boy with coat as empty space for title and author
Author Information
Author's Last Name: 
Cottrell Boyce
Author's First Name: 
Frank
Illustrator's First Name: 
Carl
Illustrator's Last Name: 
Hunter and Clare Heney
Publisher: 
Candlewick
Publication Date: 
2011
2013 Nomination (not yet selected): 

Two new boys in Margie's Year Six class draw her into their longing for their old Mongolian home and their fear of a demon which turns out to be deportation. Julie recalls her friendship with Chingis and Nergui, accompanying her narrative with the series of Polaroid photographs Chingis took to describe his homeland. Much is left unstated here. Like the empty space on the cover, it demands to be filled in. Seven to Ten (upper end).

Two Mongolian brothers appoint Julie as their "Good Guide," to help them negotiate the new culture they find in England. Stories and mysterious black and white photographs of their former life enchant her, but are they really what they seem?

Comments

Meeting Notes for November

by ladamson - 11/22/2011 - 10:39pm

Meeting Notes for November 18

Positive Comments:

  • The Mongolian boys are unforgettable in their position as outsiders and immigrants.
  • The journalistic design integrates photographs.
  • The protagonist develops in this intimate story as she realizes the world offers so much than being concerned about makeup.
  • This story has a purpose, and it works.

Concerns:

  • None stated.