Bookverdict.com

Gr 8 Up—Blaise Fortune has gone by the name Koumaïl for most of his life with Gloria in the war-torn Republic of Georgia. Although he loves her like a mother, he enjoys hearing the story of how she rescued him from a train that had derailed and his French mother, a passenger, died, and he dreams of the day he will find his real family. When the Soviet Union collapses, Gloria and Koumaïl begin a long, perilous journey to France where she believes he can live the life ...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

"This is how my childhood ended: brutally, on the side of a highway, when I realized that Gloria had disappeared and that I would have to cope without her in the country known for human rights and for the poetry of Charles Baudelaire." This beautifully written novel about a young refugee boy who, in the mid-1990s, leaves his war-torn home in the Caucasus and heads for France, is full of harsh yet tender moments, the bedtime story he never tires of hearing fr...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

This beautifully written novel about a young refugee boy, Koumail, and his guardian, Gloria, who, in the mid-1990s, leave thei...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

An enchanting novel that mixes grand storytelling with an unflinching look at the harsh realities of poverty. Koumaïl is endearingly earnest and has a great eye for detail. His winning voice comes through clearly i...Log In or Sign Up to Read More