Freedom Swimmer
Scholastic Inc. | ISBN 9781338656138 Hardcover
256 Pages | 5.778" x 8.527" | Ages 12 & Up
Scholastic Inc. | ISBN 9781338656145 Ebook
256 Pages | Ages 12 & Up
A powerful story of friendship, bravery, and a desperate bid for freedom, inspired by true events.
Ming survived the famine that killed his parents during China's "Great Leap Forward", and lives a hard but adequate life, working in the fields.
When a group of city boys comes to the village as part of a Communist Party re-education program, Ming and his friends aren't sure what to make of the new arrivals. They're not used to hard labor and village life. But despite his reservations, Ming befriends a charming city boy called Li. The two couldn't be more different, but slowly they form a bond over evening swims and shared dreams.
But as the bitterness of life under the Party begins to take its toll on both boys, they begin to imagine the impossible: freedom.
Raves & reviews:
Praise for Freedom Swimmer:
Shortlisted Sakura Medal 2018 (Japan)
Shortlisted Readings Young Adult Prize 2017 (Australia)
Longlisted CBCA Book of the Year, Younger Readers 2017 (Australia)
"An insight into this time of turmoil in China." - The Australian
"Heart-wrenching and uplifting." - The Sunday Telegraph
Praise for The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling:
"This is a book with a huge heartbeat and so much love infused in every page. The stoic resilience of the Chiu family is inspiring." — Alice Pung, author of Lucy and Linh
"Heart-wrenching... The novel provides an insightful look at the powerful role food plays in our emotional lives." — The New York Times Book Review
* "Gritty details lend depth to this viscerally powerful tale of a teen struggling to help her troubled family." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"[R]efreshingly measured in its resolution... believable optimism readers can accept, and they'll be glad to see Anna's better way forward." — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books