Children's Fiction Prejudice & Racism
Bifocal
- Publisher
- Fitzhenry and Whiteside
- Initial publish date
- Sep 2007
- Category
- Prejudice & Racism, Peer Pressure, Friendship
- Recommended Age
- 12 to 17
- Recommended Grade
- 7 to 12
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781554550623
- Publish Date
- Sep 2007
- List Price
- $12.95
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9781554550364
- Publish Date
- Sep 2007
- List Price
- $18.95
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781554554911
- Publish Date
- Sep 2007
- List Price
- $9.99
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
On the White Ravens' Outstanding New International Books for Children and Young Adults list, 2008
ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Awards Bronze Medal Winner (YA Fiction category), 2007
Snow Willow Award nominee, 2008
CCBC's Best Books for Kids and Teens, 2008
Two bestselling authors join forces to write a powerful novel about racism
A student arrested on suspicions of terrorism A high school torn apart by racism Two boys from two different sets of circumstances forced to choose sides
These are the issues at the heart of Bifocal, a ground-breaking new novel for young-adults
The story is told from two different points of view Haroon is a serious student devoted to his family His grandparents emigrated from Afghanistan Jay is a football star devoted to his team He is white
One day their high school is put on lockdown, and the police arrest a Muslim student on suspicion of terrorist affiliations He might be guilty Or is he singled out because of his race?
The entire student body fragments along racial lines and both Haroon and Jay find that their differences initially put them at odds The Muslim students become targets and a smoke-bomb is set off near their lockers while Jay and his teammates believe they've been set-up to look like racists
Bifocal is, by no stretch, an easy book Award-winning authors Deborah Ellis and Eric Walters deliver a serious, hard-hitting book about racism that does not talk down to young people
About the authors
Deborah Ellis is the internationally acclaimed author of more than twenty books for children, including The Breadwinner Trilogy; The Heaven Shop; Lunch With Lenin; Children of War: Voices of Iraqi Refugees; and Our Stories, Our Songs: African Children Talk About AIDS. She has won many national and international awards for her books, including the Governor General’s Award, the Vicky Metcalf Award, Sweden’s Peter Pan Prize, the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, and the Children’s Africana Book Award Honor Book for Older Readers.Deborah knew she wanted to be a writer at the age of 11 or 12. Growing up in Paris, Ontario, she loved reading about big cities like New York. In high school, Deborah joined the Peace Movement, playing anti-Nuclear War movies at her school. Since then Deborah has become a peace activist, humanitarian and philanthropist, donating almost all of the royalties from her books to communities in need in Asia and Africa. Heavily involved with Women for Women in Afghanistan, Deborah has helped build women’s centers and schools, giving children education and finding work for women.In 2006, Deborah was named to the Order of Ontario. She now lives in Simcoe, Ontario.
Eric Walters is the author of many acclaimed and bestselling novels for children and young adults. His novels have won numerous awards, including the Silver Birch, Blue Heron, Red Maple, Snow Willow, Ruth Schwartz, and Tiny Torgi, and have received honours from the Canadian Library Association Book Awards and UNESCO's international award for Literature in Service of Tolerance.
Eric lives in Mississauga with his wife, Anita, and three children, Christina, Nicholas, and Julia. When not writing or touring across the country speaking to school groups, Eric spends time playing or watching soccer and basketball, or playing the saxophone.
To find out more about Eric and his novels, or to arrange for him to speak at your school, visit his website at www.ericwalters.net.
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Librarian Reviews
Bifocal
Deborah Ellis again triumphs in a first collaboration with Eric Walters entitled Bifocal. Together they realistically present the problems and polarization of high school students when a Muslim pupil named Hazeen is arrested for suspicion of terrorist connections. A lockdown at the school happens unexpectedly and without warning.The story is told, in alternating chapters, through the eyes of Haroon and Jay, as they take sides. Jay is a key player on the football team who seeks the approval of the team captain, Kevin. Haroon is an alternate player on the “Reach for the Top” academic team, who admires his teammate Hazeem’s brilliance. Ms. Singh is their devoted teacher/coach who is not easily intimidated by anything. What happens and how circumstances are handled – or not – make this story a superb read.
Far from the fantasy genres so prevalent today, Ellis and Walters remind us of the reality of young peoples lives in insightful, informative and educational ways. And they do so beautifully and gently with this necessary book.
Source: The Canadian Children's Bookcentre. Fall 2007. Vol.30 No.4.
Bifocal
Racial tension grows in a local high school, where Haroon and Jay set out on a painful journey of self-discovery. Soon they begin to question their loyalties and beliefs.Source: The Canadian Children’s Book Centre. Best Books for Kids & Teens. 2008.
