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Realistically presented and powerfully illustrated, this teen graphic novel reveals the untold story of child exploitation and one girl's courage to escape.
IBBY Honour List 2020
Twelve-year-old Elfina lives with her grandmother in Paraguay. When a distant relative offers to have Elfina come live with her in the city so she can attend school, Elfina's grandmother sends her off for a better life. But life with her relatives isn't what Elfina thought it would be, and soon Elfina finds herself far away from home, living in Canada, and kept as a domestic servant by the family. School and an education are now a distant dream. When Elfina's uncle makes inappropriate advances at her, she knows she must somehow find the courage to escape and return home. But who will help her?
SUSAN OURIOU is an award-winning literary translator of more than 40 works. She has been shortlisted or awarded the Governor General's Award for Literary Translation, the John Glassco Translation Prize, and France's Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for her work as a translator, interpreter and writer. Several of her translations for children have been on IBBY's annual Honour Lists. In addition, Susan helped found the Banff International Literary Translation Centre (BILTC) and was the founding editor of the bi-annual translation review TransLit. She lives in Calgary, Alberta.
Reviews
"The words and pictures interlace seamlessly: a variety of large and small panels highlight both the spatial limitations of Elfina's world and her fantasies of escape … Christine Delezenne's two—colour illustrations are filled with movement and information, as well as glimpses of Elfina's humour and cheeky resistance."
Joanne Findon, Quill and Quire
Knowledge and awareness are critical components when trying to solve any problem, and this small but powerful novel arms its readers with information which they may use to confront the issues of forced domestic labour.
Ann Ketcheson, retired teacher, CM: Canadian Review of Materials
A deceptively short read that casts needed light on a dark and dehumanizing practice.
Kirkus
The Courage of Elfina packs a big punch for a small book. I would recommend it for school and public libraries.
Resource Links
The Courage of Elfina is an engaging tale to teach young readers about forced child labour right here in Canada.
Montreal Review of Books
This slight volume packs considerable punch, laying bare the peril tens of millions of marginalized children face every day. A worthy acquisition for school and public libraries.
Steven Thompson, Sadie Pope Dowdell Library, School Library Journal
"Brings the plight of modern slavery to teens in a character they'll surely find relatable."
Booklist Online
"An eye-opening book that makes this difficult topic and social issue understandable to middle graders and teens."
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative
"The simplicity of the text and the combined illustrations create a powerful, accessible narrative in explaining child labor and human trafficking to kids and teens."
A newly updated edition explains how prejudice and racism led to the roundup and internment of hundreds of loyal Italian Canadians during the Second World War and includes the federal government’s apology for the internment in 2021.
