Key learning points

1. The text is told from the perspective of Julie; she reflects on her time in Year 6 when Chingis joined her class.
2. Chingis is a young boy who, along with his brother Nergui, immigrates from Mongolia to Liverpool.
3. The text explores the rich history of Chingis’ home country, its landscape and nomadic culture.
4. A theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a story; identifying themes within a text involves inference.
5. Julie begins to understand the challenges that Chingis and his family face in trying to remain in the country.

Keywords

• Novella - a fictional narrative that is longer than a short story but shorter than a full-length novel

• Nomad - a member of a community or tribe that has no permanent settlement

• Theme - a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a story

• Immigration - the act of moving to a foreign country with the intention of living there permanently

Common misconception