Through The Wall

A huge wall divides the land of the Yellow people from the land of the Blue people. The government preaches hatred and fear of the 'other side', and to attempt to cross, climb or damage the wall is treason. A Yellow boy lives a sad life in the shadow of this wall until one day, he discovers a hole and meets a Blue girl. A friendship is born that could shake the foundations of their worlds. Through The Wall straddles the line between graphic novel and picture book for older readers. The cute illustrations help to deliver the book's clear message about racism, xenophobia and the dangers of othering. The images are largely a dirty grey colour, with little splashes of blue and yellow, which get more prominent as the story progresses. Everything you need to know about the repressive dystopian world of this book is delivered on the very first page of the book, in the form of a letter from the Ministry of the Wall, headed 'Attn: An Important Message To All Citizens Living in the Shelter of the Wall'. The story is told through striking images and simple captions, along with snippets of this letter - there is no dialogue. It is a very quick read (I read it in less than 5 minutes) with a simple story - one that may be a little too simple for older readers, so I would recommend this to Upper KS2/Lower KS3 readers. This would be a good book to introduce students to the idea of dystopian literature, and would sit nicely next to a book like Shaun Tan's The Arrival. 36 pages / Ages 9+ / Reviewed by Daniel Katz, school librarian

Suggested Reading Age 9+