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Author & Illustrators

Sally Deng Books

Based on a real life story!

Yusra Mardini loves to swim. Growing up in Damascus, she is just a girl with a dream: to swim for her country in the Olympic Games. But when war erupts in her country, she is forced to flee.

In spare, rhyming verse, Yursa Swims tells the true story of one girl’s journey from her beloved home in Syria to Germany.

We follow her to the Turkish coast, where she boards a small, crowded boat across the Aegean Sea to Greece. When the boat begins to sink, Yusra swims, helping to push the boat and all of her fellow refugees safely to shore. Her journey continues from Greece, through Europe, on foot, by car, bus and train, all the way to Germany. Here Yusra swims again, and is able to realise her dreams.

The female pilots of the Second World War are honoured in this exciting, empowering book that shows young girls can achieve anything. The year is 1927, and in America, England and Russia, three girls share a dream: to fly.

Against the odds, Hazel, Marlene and Lilya follow their hearts, enrolling in pilot courses and eventually flying for their countries in World War II. Join the adventures of these women as they display feats of incredible bravery in this beautiful book of sensitive and moving illustrations.

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Stone Girl Bone Girl

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Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?

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