When the path to eight-year-old Allison’s Catholic school goes through hostile Protestant territory in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Allison finds she is not alone in her loathing of the situation.
This book has been included in WOW’s Kids Taking Action Booklist. For our current list, visit our Boolist page under Resources in the green navigation bar.
- ISBN: 9780618261444
- Author: Bunting, Eve
- Published: 2008 , Clarion Books
- Themes: Conflict, kindness, Religion, School
- Descriptors: Ireland, Primary (ages 6-9), Realistic Fiction
- No. of pages: 32
Eve Bunting’s talent lies in creating stories that feature a child’s strong voice. In this book Allison, an eight-year-old Catholic child, tells her fears about walking to school through a Protestant neighborhood during the time of Troubles in Northern Ireland. People are lined up taunting the children and their parents, throwing things, and making loud noises with horns, whistles and clanging rubbish bin lids. Allison is even more frightened when somebody grabs her blazer and pulls off one of her treasured brass buttons. But then a Protestant girl picks up the button and tells Allison she hates the fighting. This small act inspires Allison to give the girl her lucky marble. This encounter between children in the face of screaming, hateful adults shows the courage of both children. This book reminds me of another child, Ruby Bridges, and her courage when she was the first African American child at her school. These books that focus on children and their peaceful acts may inspire today’s children to consider what they can do to be peacemakers.