Illegal~ Eoin Colfer & Andrew Donkin

Happy New Year’s Eve! Can you believe Riley let me take her photo wearing that crown!? Trust me when I say that these moments of calm are extremely rare.

Today, we read Illegal, by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin. In this graphic novel the protagonist, Ebo, and his brother, Kwame, leave Ghana for a better life in Europe. Their journey is filled with challenges, agonizing desperation and fear, but also hope. It is a high-level graphic novel that requires careful attention to comprehend, so it will be a challenge for students in upper elementary and up! Given the current societal crisis regarding immigration, I think it is so valuable that children can get a narrative of the journey of an immigrant through this novel. Happy Reading!

Buy the book here!

Maturity: 2/4This novel confronts the harsh realities of immigrants. Dehydration, fear, cruelty, and death are discussed. Two pages, in particular, contain some mature content. I still believe the novel is appropriate for most students fifth grade and up, but you know your readers best!

Pages: 122

Lexile: 490L

Lexile is a score that helps educators and parents match students with an appropriate text. A Lexile score is a measure of both a child’s reading ability and a text difficulty. However, Lexile does not take into account the content of a novel. So, pairing readers with a text is a complex process, and knowledge of a novel’s themes and plot is necessary to make a high-quality recommendation.If you are curious about the grade-level equivalent to Lexile scores, check out the conversion chart here!Check us out on Instagram! #rileyreadsya