
The Bone Sparrow
Zana Fraillon(Author)
Nick Hern Books (Publisher)
Will be published approx. on 10. March 2022
Book
Paperback/Softback
136 pages
978-1-83904-081-8 (ISBN)
Description
Subhi is a refugee. Born in an Australian permanent detention centre after his mother fled the violence of a distant homeland, life behind the fences is all he's ever known. Now his imagination is pushing at the limits of his world.
One day, Jimmie appears on the other side of the fence, bringing a notebook written by the mother she lost. Unable to read it, she relies on Subhi to unravel her own family's mysterious and moving history. Together, Subhi and Jimmie must find a way to freedom, and they must be braver than they've ever been before...
The Bone Sparrow, Zana Fraillon's powerful and deeply moving novel about the displacement and treatment of refugees and sanctuary seekers, has been widely read and studied around the world since its publication in 2017.
This enthralling stage adaptation by award-winning Australian playwright S. Shakthidharan was first produced on a UK tour in 2022 by Pilot Theatre with York Theatre Royal, Derby Theatre, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, and Mercury Theatre Colchester.
Also included is a range of teaching materials and resources designed to help educators bring the play to life for their students.
Praise for the novel, The Bone Sparrow:
'With an affecting and distinctive narrative voice... [Zana Fraillon] builds a convincing and complete world. Moving and memorable, The Bone Sparrow deserves to be read by all who care about our common humanity' Guardian
'A heartrending tale about how our stories make us, and also an angry polemic, vividly convincing in its detailed description of what it means for your home to be a tent in the dust behind a guarded fence' Sunday Times
'This is a tragic, beautifully crafted and wonderful book whose chirpy, stoic hero shames us all' Independent
Winner of the Amnesty CILIP Honour Award
Shortlisted for the Carnegie Award and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize
One day, Jimmie appears on the other side of the fence, bringing a notebook written by the mother she lost. Unable to read it, she relies on Subhi to unravel her own family's mysterious and moving history. Together, Subhi and Jimmie must find a way to freedom, and they must be braver than they've ever been before...
The Bone Sparrow, Zana Fraillon's powerful and deeply moving novel about the displacement and treatment of refugees and sanctuary seekers, has been widely read and studied around the world since its publication in 2017.
This enthralling stage adaptation by award-winning Australian playwright S. Shakthidharan was first produced on a UK tour in 2022 by Pilot Theatre with York Theatre Royal, Derby Theatre, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, and Mercury Theatre Colchester.
Also included is a range of teaching materials and resources designed to help educators bring the play to life for their students.
Praise for the novel, The Bone Sparrow:
'With an affecting and distinctive narrative voice... [Zana Fraillon] builds a convincing and complete world. Moving and memorable, The Bone Sparrow deserves to be read by all who care about our common humanity' Guardian
'A heartrending tale about how our stories make us, and also an angry polemic, vividly convincing in its detailed description of what it means for your home to be a tent in the dust behind a guarded fence' Sunday Times
'This is a tragic, beautifully crafted and wonderful book whose chirpy, stoic hero shames us all' Independent
Winner of the Amnesty CILIP Honour Award
Shortlisted for the Carnegie Award and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize
Reviews / Votes
'Powerful... such stories are as necessary as ever' * Guardian * 'Powerful and moving... the writing soul-shakingly communicates the truthfulness of the characters' experiences' * Observer * 'A timely reminder of our unseeing cruelty towards those forced out of their homes by war, genocide, or other atrocities' * British Theatre Guide * 'A touching, relevant and educational text on refugees... highlights the awful conditions that millions are forced to live in' * Drama & Theatre magazine *More details
Series
Edition
stage version
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 197 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
160 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83904-081-8 (9781839040818)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
03/2022
Nick Hern Books
€18.49
Available for download
Persons
Zana Fraillon is an Australian writer of fiction for children and young adults based in Melbourne, Australia. Her books include The Bone Sparrow, which has been widely read and studied around the world since its publication in 2016.
The Bone Sparrow won the ABIA Book of the Year for Older Children, the Readings Young Adult Book Prize and the Amnesty CILIP Honour Award. It was also shortlisted for the Carnegie Award and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. It was adapted for the stage by S. Shakthidharan (Pilot Theatre, 2022).
S. Shakthidharan is a writer, director and producer of film and theatre, as well as a composer and performer of original music. He was born in Sri Lanka and raised in Sydney, Australia, where he is now based.
His adaptation of The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon was premiered by Pilot Theatre on a tour of the UK in 2022.
He was a winner of the Windham-Campbell Prize for literature in 2026.
The Bone Sparrow won the ABIA Book of the Year for Older Children, the Readings Young Adult Book Prize and the Amnesty CILIP Honour Award. It was also shortlisted for the Carnegie Award and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. It was adapted for the stage by S. Shakthidharan (Pilot Theatre, 2022).
S. Shakthidharan is a writer, director and producer of film and theatre, as well as a composer and performer of original music. He was born in Sri Lanka and raised in Sydney, Australia, where he is now based.
His adaptation of The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon was premiered by Pilot Theatre on a tour of the UK in 2022.
He was a winner of the Windham-Campbell Prize for literature in 2026.