A Hen in the Wardrobe by Wendy Meddour (Children's, 7 years +)

2nd February 2012, Frances Lincoln

160 pages, Paperback, 

Review copy

Themes: living in a country which isn't your homeland, friendships, learning about family heritage, tasty food, Algeria, travel visas, fresh meat, sheep in the kitchen, hermits, bullies, a lot of humour, tissues needed

Summary from Frances Lincoln

 Ramzi's dad is acting very strangely. He climbs trees in the middle of the night, and even goes into Ramzi's wardrobe looking for a hen. The trouble is, he's sleepwalking because he's homesick for his native Algeria. So Ramzi, Dad and Mum go back to Dad's Berber village in the desert region of North Africa, and Ramzi meets his Berber grandmother and cousins, and even braves the scary Sheherazad. But can Ramzi help his dad and what will happen when they get back home again.

 

Nayuleska's thoughts 

I'm not entirely sure why I burst out crying at the end of the book. It's a happy ending! I think Ioved how important Ramzi's family is to him, the way he and his mother miss England whike they are away and the solution Ramzi figures up on his own. This is very deserving of 10/10.

 Suggested read

For another book which is thought provoking try The Leopard Boy by Julia Johnson