21 Miles
Nicola Garrard
Category:
Fiction | Young Adult
ABOUT THE BOOK
Donny and Zoe are back. This time they must get out of Calais before they both end up in jail. This isn’t a holiday. This is a role-swapping, day trip to hell. With football.
Older, wiser and more confident, life is going well for Donny, 17. He’s a former gang member who’s escaped a brutal life of criminal exploitation. He and his best friend Zoe plan a day trip to France ahead of their sixth form exams. After a fun morning in Calais, they’re about to return to the port when they see a boy, Amin, being attacked. Streetwise Donny chases the man off. Wanting to help Amin reunite
with his family in Britain, Donny and Amin swap clothes, and Zoe drives Amin with Donny’s passport to the Eurotunnel terminal to take him to Folkestone.
After all, what could possibly go wrong? All Donny has to do is lie low at the park until Zoe’s return. But, lost in France and arrested as an
‘illegal’ migrant, he must rely on the help of unaccompanied teenage refugees, living rough in the dunes east of Calais to survive. Can Donny use his boat skills to cross the busiest shipping channel in the world and make it home in time?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nicola Garrard has taught English in secondary schools for twenty-three
years, including fifteen years at an Islington comprehensive. Her first novel,
29 LOCKS, was shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize and the Mslexia
Children’s Novel competition, and longlisted for the Branford Boase Award
2022 and the Berkshire Book Award. It was picked by Suzi Feay in the Financial
Times as one of their ‘Best Books of 2021’.
REVIEWS
'Nicola Garrard’s 29 Locks was one of the best YA novels published in 2021. Her new one, 21 Miles, is every bit as good. Garrard deals with hugely important issues, without ever preaching or compromising the pace and excitement of the narrative. This is committed fiction, but the heavy lifting is done by exciting storytelling and compelling characters. It grips, and forces you to think. And to feel. One of the very best pieces of fiction to come out of the refugee crisis.'
Anthony McGowan, Carnegie Medal Winner
'I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I cannot wait for young people to get their hands on it. I love the intention behind why the story is written, and I got really attached to the characters. They're very real! Thanks so much for the opportunity to authenticate the North African Muslim experience in this wonderful book, and I am happy to be a part of it!'
Hala-Randa Kaizra, Authenticity Reader, Youth Worker and Refugee
'I enjoyed this book so much! It’s great to find out what happens next for Donny. His new friendships are every bit as authentic as the ones he made in 29 Locks, and the adventure itself is absolutely gripping. I was already on-board with the true plight of refugees, but because we get to know and love these characters, the appalling dangers they face hit really hard in this book. The whole refugee experience is handled skilfully, and you can see that the author has had first-hand experience in Calais – it all feels so real. My heart was in my mouth, but the humour balances everything, and the pacing rips along to make a thoroughly entertaining read.'
Clare Weze, author of
The Lightning Catcher and
The Storm Swimmer
'21 Miles is a brilliant follow-up to 29 Locks and it couldn't be more relevant. Heartbreaking but ultimately hopeful, the exhilarating plot and memorable characters combine to create a true page-turner. Donny is an inspirational hero who seeks justice in the face of overwhelming obstacles - it's impossible not to fall in love with him! The novel offers a disturbing insight into the plight of unaccompanied child refugees in the camps around Calais. Yet there are moments of humour too, as Donny and his new friends navigate countless dangers in an attempt to build a brighter future. Beautifully written with compassion and urgency, this is a thrilling read for both children and adults.'
Juliet West, author of
Before the Fall
and The Faithful
'I've just finished reading and I'm still wiping away the tears. It is BRILLIANT! It rockets along so pacily. I could not put it down! And it just works so, so well, raising so many ideas and issues in a provoking way that forces the reader to reconsider perspectives and challenges them to think differently. There are enough references to 29 Locks to make it an utterly convincing sequel, but it works absolutely as a standalone story. There will be comparisons with Manjeet Mann, I know.'
Dr Theresa Gooda, writer and educationist
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