No Ballet Shoes in Syria

Product Information

For Aya, doing ballet is her own coping mechanism and her passion. Anybody can tell just how much she loves it and I'm so glad that the people around her are so supportive. Its so nice to see that families and strangers even are willing to go to such length just to make her dream come true. A moving story about one of the big issues of our time, told with wonderful clarity, and incredibly touching.”– Axel Scheffler, illustrator of The Gruffalo Catherine Bruton empathetically tells the story of eleven-year-old Aya, who carries the trauma of having escaped the civil war in Aleppo with her mother and baby brother (having lost her father in the Mediterranean). The book cleverly and powerfully switches between the current story of Aya trying to audition for a prestigious ballet school, whilst her family appeals their rejected plea for asylum, and Aya’s memories of her home in Syria. Bruton states she wants her readers to see beyond the label of 'refugee' and 'asylum seeker' and in No Ballet Shoes in Syria, she has succeeded in generating compassion, empathy and understanding. Aya's hopes, dreams and fears are the same as her peers, yet she carries another layer of sadness and trauma as she seeks to make sense of her past. Bruton skilfully draws us into Aya's life; past, present and future but without being 'preachy'; Aya is a girl, just like you or me. John Boyne is under fire for daring, as a white Irish gay man, to write a children’s book about a trans child. Catherine Bruton, the author of this novel about a Syrian refugee with a passion for ballet, clearly expects to get the same treatment and has felt compelled to write a defence of her actions at the end. I’m sorry I’m not a refugee, but this is important, kinda thing. Personally, I wouldn’t give the time of day to those who think you have to be Noddy to write a book about him... but there we are.

It was one of THE BEST BOOKS I've ever read! Although it was very dramatic. It was about an asylum seeker, 11 year old Aya. Highly recommended for mature readers of 9+, this story contains emotive descriptions of the refugee journey, familiar to most adults but alien to most youngsters, and tragic events occur. I liked the fact that the asylum system and her individual case was so clearly explained but also the fact that despite their different experiences, she and the other girls found common ground and understanding. A breath-taking, epic adventure, spanning the icy wastes of the Arctic Tundra to the vaudeville circus of New York, from the award-winning author of No Ballet Shoes in Syria and Another Twist in the Tale . A brilliantly-conceived and hugely imaginative ‘sequel’ to Mary Shelley’s masterpiece, Following Frankenstein is a hugely exciting and beautifully-written historical adventure, perfect for 9-12 year olds.This is going to seem a little obscure, but I was teaching Wharton’s 1920 Pulitzer prize winning classic to my lovely A Level class when I was writing the end of No Ballet Shoes in Syria and it is her beautifully delicately balanced ending that I attempted to emulate. I didn’t want ‘happy ever after’, because that would trivialise the issues I was writing about, but nor did I want the finale to be totally bleak. I wanted an ending that offered hope at the same time as breaking my readers’ hearts. Newland Archer sitting on a bench outside Ellen Olenska’s Paris apartment, not going up, but knowing that the memory of her is enough – it breaks my heart and makes me sob every time. And that was what I wanted to achieve too. I guess you’ll have to read it and decide if I succeed… It’s two years since her philandering first (and only) love Joel walked out taking the last of her self-confidence with him and she has remained resolutely single ever since. No Ballet Shoes in Syria tells the story of 11 year old Aya who has come to Britain, along with her mother and baby brother, after fleeing the war in Syria. When she stumbles across a local ballet class, the formidable dance teacher, Miss Helena, spots Aya’s remarkable natural talent and believes she has the potential to win a scholarship to the prestigious Royal Northern Ballet School. But at the same time Aya and her family must fight to remain in the UK, to make new home for themselves and to find Aya’s father – separated from the family during the perilous journey from Syria. Bundle of 11 short reading comprehensions with questions using the language of the SATs tests. They are ideal for revision. Largely they focus on inference, retrieval and providing evidence for answers. Welcome to Coronation Road – a kaleidoscope of clashing cultures and parallel lives. There’s Maggie and her politician mum in their big house. There’s Tokes and his mum in a tiny bedsit, running from trouble. And there’s the ruthless Starfish gang, breeding fear throughout the neighbourhood.

One day, whilst waiting in the interminable queue in the community centre to fill in endless forms she doesn't really understand, Aya hears music and is drawn to the ballet class taking place in another room. When Aya is asked to join the class and audition for ballet school, she begins to believe that a better, more hopeful life might be possible. With beautiful, captivating writing, wonderfully authentic ballet detail, and an important message championing the rights of refugees, this is classic storytelling – filled with warmth, hope and humanity.

By Author / Illustrator

I really enjoyed this well-balanced and inspiring story. Aya is a spirited and determined character, often torn between her own ambitions and caring for her family. She makes friends but also experiences jealousy and prejudice and it is not until her full story is revealed towards the end of the book that many of the other characters truly understand the devastation and horror she has overcome.