Morris Gleitzman's Boy Overboard

Words: 688
Pages: 3

Introduction
The novel, Boy Overboard, tells the story of an Afghan family fleeing their country in hope of finding a safer home. The novel is based in a period of time when war and violence was a part of everyday life in Afghanistan. Throughout the novel, Morris Gleitzman demonstrates how two siblings, Jamal and Bibi, and their parents can survive difficult situations through family, persistence and optimism.
Family
Jamal, Bibi and their parents determination to keep their family safe throughout their journey means that they can handle difficult situations they encounter. This is demonstrated when Bibi accidentally steps on a landmine while trying to retrieve Jamal’s soccer ball. Jamal decides that “There’s only one thing to do” and tells Bibi to “Slide your foot off the metal plate while I slide my foot on.” Bibi says that she won’t, because she would then be putting her brother in
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This is demonstrated when Jamal and Bibi are on the smuggler ship and have suffered quietly through disaster after disaster.“We're alone in the middle of the ocean, a boat full of starving wailing people and three scared sailors. This is it, I THINK. It can't get worse than this,” Jamal quotes, as he tries to cheer Bibi up. This shows that Jamal always tries to focus on the positive side of things for his own and family’s sake. “Boy Overboard”, by Morris Gleitzman is an inspiring and uplifting story that makes us think about how many of the things we experience in our lives are insignificant compared to this; a family fleeing from their country and a corrupt government in order to keep each other safe. This book shows us the point of view and how it must feel to be a young child separated from their parents, on their way to a foreign country. It shows that two siblings and their parents can get through any tough situation with persistence, family and