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Amir: friend on loan (The Third Space #2)

Amra Pajalic (Goodreads Author)

3.83 · Rating details · 6 ratings · 4 reviews

Amir has been best friends with Dragan since they were in kinder and the boys are looking forward to starting high school together next year. Even though Amir’s parents are Bosnian Muslim and Dragan is of Serbian Orthodox background, the boys think of themselves as Australian and their cultural differences have never mattered ... until the Balkan war breaks out. Suddenly t ...more

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Paperback, 64 pages

Published February 10th 2014 by Garratt Publishing

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Mar 31, 2014 Brit McCarthy rated it it was ok

Shelves: arcs-and-first-reads, 2014-reads, books-i-own, quick-reads, reviews

Thank you to Goodreads and the author Amra Pajalic for providing me with a copy of this book.

Amir: Friend On Loan tells the story of Amir and Dragan, best friends living in Australia but with different ethnic backgrounds. This has never been a problem for their friendship, until the 'Serbs' invade Bosnia. Dragan is from Serbia and Amir from Bosnia. This causes all kinds of problems with their families and friends, and the boys find themselves not allowed to be friends anymore.

I thought this book Thank you to Goodreads and the author Amra Pajalic for providing me with a copy of this book.

Amir: Friend On Loan tells the story of Amir and Dragan, best friends living in Australia but with different ethnic backgrounds. This has never been a problem for their friendship, until the 'Serbs' invade Bosnia. Dragan is from Serbia and Amir from Bosnia. This causes all kinds of problems with their families and friends, and the boys find themselves not allowed to be friends anymore.

I thought this book would go on to prove that ethnic backgrounds should not be any reason for kids not be friends, but instead got the opposite. Amir and Dragan try to be friends without their parents knowledge but the pressure is mounting from their schoolmates, who are divided. I know that this sort of thing happens, and I know that when you have family in a country being invaded it's going to be hard for you. But why on earth take your anger out on people who no longer live in that country? Australia is a land of peace and prosperity and it's doors are open. There is such a wide diversity of backgrounds and we should all be able to live peacefully here in a country where there is no war. I thought it interesting that Amir identified himself as Australian - and why shouldn't he - but yet was dragged into a war he had no interest in by his parents and other parents in the community.

I was disappointed in the ending of this book. I felt the author could have done so much more with it, the fact that it is marketed to younger readers shouldn't make it short, and expanded these issues far more than she did and leave the young readers with a positive impression of how to overcome differences in the community and an understanding that everyone is different, but here we are all Australian. Instead, it felt a bit like, bad luck, no hope for you. I know there are places where this happens, but why not use your book to help bridge a gap and show that we are all the same? In a week where we happen to be celebrating and calling out for diverse books and characters, it especially feels like the author dropped the ball on this one. So much potential to really write some lessons for children of all ages, races and religions to be able to learn from.

2.5 Stars. ...more

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May 08, 2014 Faruk rated it it was amazing

I really enjoyed this book. This book gives us real and not sugar-coated reality of ethnic relations and life in general in Australia. I think it is pitch-perfect for the audience in terms of language and length. There's a lot to learn about the conflict in the Balkans and how it affected (negatively) communities from that area living in Australia. Being from ethnic background myself I can vouch that the book gives us the real picture of how war affected scores of immigrants living thousands of ...more

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Aug 12, 2016 Rebecca rated it it was amazing

Shelves: aus-lit, children-s-and-ya, diverse, diverse-ya, muslim-australian-stories, the-women

A compelling novella perfectly pitched for upper primary/lower secondary students that chronicles the moment a shift occurs in the friendship between Amir, a Bosnian Muslim, and Dragan, a Serbian Christian, at the outbreak of the Balkans conflict. The writing is tight and rings with the truth of lived experience and, as in real life, there are no happy endings and things are not neatly resolved. Keen to seek out other books in this series (The Third Space series).

"Amir felt a cold chill. He real ...more

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Jan 04, 2015 Cassy rated it it was ok

I received this book as a Goodreads winner. This a good book for younger readers to help teach acceptance and cultural diversity.

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About Amra Pajalic

Amra Pajalic

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Amra Pajalic is an author and teacher. Her debut novel The Good Daughter (Text Publishing, 2009) won the 2009 Melbourne Prize for Literature's Civic Choice Award, and was a finalist in the 2009 Melbourne Prize for Literature Best Writing Award. Prior to publication it was shortlisted in the 2007 Victorian Premier's Awards for Best Unpublished Manuscript. She is also author of a novel for children ...more