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By Malcolm Duffy (author)
"Sharing the story of a Ukrainian refugee in the UK, this hard-hitting account of the horrors and impact of war is a stirring ode to empathy and resilience."
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February 2024 Book of the Month
“Thursday 24 February 2022. The day the Russians came” was the day everything changed for 15-year-old Kat and her family. Beginning at this fateful moment, and informed by the author and his family having hosted refugees from Ukraine, Malcolm Duffy’s Seven Million Sunflowers is incredibly moving, authentic and perfectly-pitched.
Two months on from the February missile strike on her Kharkiv hometown, Kat lands in the UK with her Mama and brother Marko, while her website designer dad stays behind to fight, his designer shoes replaced with combat boots.
In the UK, Kat finds a friend (and more) in Felix, who’s as reluctant to talk about his family as Kat is about her dad. At the same time, Kat feels guilty about her newfound happiness while her father and compatriots back home are risking everything as they fight for her country.
Conflict, in all its forms, is poignantly evoked when devastating news comes from home just as Kat experiences troubles in her new UK life — the politics of war becomes excruciatingly personal, with all the challenges of being a teenager heightened by the conflict.
Written in attention-grabbing style — a potently direct first-person narrative with poetic impact — Seven Million Sunflowers is charged with empathy and utterly un-put-down-able.
Escaping war is only half the battle as the Kovalenko family swap Ukrainian dangers for life with a British family.
Read the full description
15-year-old Kateryno and her family live in Kharkiv. Their lives are shattered when on February 24th 2022 the Russian army invades. Their apartment block is struck by a missile. After weeks living in their basement, Kateryno, her mother, and brother, decide to leave, joining seven million Ukrainian refugees.
They come to England and meet their host family, the Hawkins. But their new beginning brings a whole new set of problems.
Praise for Read Between the Lies;
'A grippingly unfolding domestic drama... the book’s two engaging narrators learn and teach the value of empathy with others' - Sunday Times, Children's Book of the Week
'Well-paced and highly engaging, readers will be surprised by more than one satisfying twist.' - BookTrust, Book of the Month
Praise for Sofa Surfer;
'This story about homelessness is truthful and compelling, and Duffy has a talent for imparting serious ideas entertainingly.' - Sunday Times Children's Book of the Week
Geordie-born, Malcolm Duffy now lives in Surrey. His debut, Me Mam. Me Dad. Me . was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, and, alongside Sofa Surfer, and Read Between the Lies , has won and been shortlisted for multiple regional awards. All of his first three books have been Sunday Times Children's Books of the Week.
Photo credit: James W. Fortune
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Escaping war is only half the battle as the Kovalenko family swap Ukrainian dangers for life with a British family. 15-year-old Kateryno and her family live in Kharkiv. Their lives are shattered when on February 24th 2022 the Russian army invades.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Seven Million Sunflowers and determined it is suitable for children aged 13-18 years old
Seven Million Sunflowers features in the following genres: Books of the Month, Recommendations, Featured Books for Young Adults, Gritty Reads, Star Books, Stories about Family and Friends, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Warfare & Battles, Children’s / Teenage: General interest, Featured Books for 13+ readers
Paperback. £8.09, down from the £8.99 cover price. In Stock.
Seven Million Sunflowers was written by Malcolm Duffy and published by Zephyr
Seven Million Sunflowers has 305 pages
£8.09, reduced from £8.99. In Stock.
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