Refugee Boy - Ch7-11

In Chapter 7, Alem is unhappy in the boys' home, so what does he do?

• Picks another fight with the bullying boy, Sweeney.

• Calls Mariam and asks her to contact his father.

• Tries to run away from the home, though he ends up back inside.

On his way to his new foster home, something happens that makes Alem feel humiliated. What is it that makes him feel this way?

• The bullying boys at the foster home stand and jeer at him at the gate.

• He has to have his fingerprints taken in a screening process, and feels like a criminal.

• A stranger in a shop uses racist language towards him.

Alem's new foster parents are Mr and Mrs Fitzgerald. Do they have any children of their own?

• No - they only take in foster children.

• Yes - they have a young son named Peter, aged four.

• Yes - they have a teenage daughter named Ruth, aged seventeen.

What does Alem spend most of his time doing, when he arrives at his foster home?

• Reading books and watching television.

• Researching Eritrea and Ethiopia on the internet.

• Having long, friendly conversations with the Fitzgeralds.

Why is Alem excited, at the end of Chapter 8?

• He receives a letter from his father.

• He is going to start at Great Milford School.

• He makes a friend with the neighbour next door.

What does the headmaster talk about, during Alem's first day of school?

• Litter and knife crime.

• Refugees and asylum seekers.

• He reads from the Bible.

What happens to Alem in his very first lesson?

• He is accidentally knocked to the floor when a boy runs into the classroom.

• He is given a Positive Pupil award.

• He is quietly bullied by two girls sitting behind him, and the teacher doesn't notice.

Alem receives a letter from his father. What news does it contain?

• The news is positive - there is hope for peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

• The news is negative - Alem's mother has gone missing.

• The news is negative - the whole of Badme village has been burnt down by soldiers.

What is Alem's experience of school like, over the next week?

• He finds it hard to concentrate, and is told off constantly by teachers.

• He works hard and starts to make friends.

• He does well in class but feels very lonely.

What does Alem buy with the money the Fitzgeralds give him for Christmas?

• A lot of books.

• A watch and a winter coat.

• A thirty-speed bike.