I really liked the format of this book: how it was printed on "notebook paper" and included the different Polaroid pictures that Chingis took in his many different journeys. It had a nice sense of mysteriousness about it as the author fumbles her way through learning about Chingis and Yergui and tries to be a "Good Guide" for them as they try to get adjusted to school life after coming from Mongolia. Her assumptions about them--that their big fur coats are Mongolian, that they know a lot about h [...]

Read this book!That's what I would do if I were an employee in a bookstore and a mother asked me what to get for her tween. As a karmaic twist, I decided to read this book after the WSJ article maelstorm (you know, where the article started with the story of a mother lamenting the lack of "good" books for her kid), and also at a time where I became aware of the problem of "voice". Rather, if an author is capable of writing believable characters which are not like the author themselves (ex: A whi [...]

Chingis and Nergui appear in Bootle, England. In this tiny town where no one new ever comes and nothing happens, these two Mongolian immigrants appear, wearing huge, strange coats and acting and speaking in ways that are totally unfamiliar to the other children at the school. Chingis, the elder, gives the teacher orders and refuses to let his little brother out of his sight. He has a Polaroid camera, and pictures of Mongolia so bizarre that it seems like another planet all together. Julie, our n [...]

I will never be able to not give 5 stars to a great immigrant story. Period. That's my disclaimer. Julie is your average insightful Year Six gal in Bootle, UK. She has the typical concerns you would expect from an average insightful Year Six gal--being invited over to Mimi's house after school, and getting Socky to notice her. But that all changes when two Mongolian immigrants, Chingis and 'Negrui', join her class. Frank Cottrell Boyce is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. His previous b [...]

Charming story about two Mongolian boys who transfer to a school in Liverpool and are embraced by their classmates.

Such a poignant little book that deals with the reality of immigration (illegal) and how children try to make sense of it. I don't know why this book has been classified as children's book cause it most certainly isn't. There are concepts here that a 6 year old or even a 10 year old wouldn't grasp. It's a short episode, a one sitting sort of book that kind of leaves you thinking about it, long after the last page has been turned.

Cotrell has written a very mysterious and well written tale of two children from Mongolia. The boys; Chingis and Nergui, join the school in the last term and manage to grab the attention of Julie who becomes their ‘good guide’. The reader is first introduced to the two boys when they enter the classroom and one of them defiantly refuses to leave and go to his own class. This is intriguing because, it is very unheard of for a pupil to defy a teacher bold as brass and somehow manage to get awa [...]

I very much enjoyed this book and think it would be a good choice for guided reading for Year 4-6. It’s a story about two Mongolian brothers told through the eyes of their friend, Julie. When Chingis and his little brother Nergui arrive at Julie’s school they arouse a lot of interest with their exotic-looking afghan coats, tales of eagle-training and horses out on the vast Mongolian steppe. With the help of Julie, their ‘good guide’, the brothers soon fit in to school life and the three [...]

Okay, maybe calling this a "classic" as that's what five stars means to is a stretch but I really liked this kids book. I happened to be looking for some other books to bring in for the pre-teen kids I work with to look at. The fact that it was written by Frank Cottrell Boyce is what caught my eye. He's a fantastic screen writer known for his collaborations with director Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People, e.g.). I opened the book up and noticed that it used Polaroid pictures as illustr [...]

Frank Cottrell Boyce is starting to remind me of Avi – his books are so diverse, yet all wonderful in their own way. I absolutely adored Cosmic, and this quick read about two young Mongolian refugees who arrive in a small British town near Liverpool did not disappoint. It’s told as a flashback from the point of view of Julie, a Year 6 student who takes the boys under her wing and becomes their “good guide.” Julie becomes fond of and intrigued by the two boys, but doesn’t fully understa [...]

Frank Cottrell Boyce's books are so sweet that I'm pretty sure they kill people. And I meant that in the nicest way. Every book I've read of his has been very good. Boyce writes with a perfect voice for his young narrators - I kind of forget it's a grown man with 7 kids who is really writing it.This book is about two Mongolian brothers who come to a small British town and choose a girl from their class to be their Good Guide (to show them around, show them the ropes, etc). The class is mesmerize [...]

This powerful and haunting story revolved around the sudden appearance of Chingis and his younger brother, immigrants to England from Mongolia. The book follows classmate Julie as finds herself suddenly their advocate. Told at times from her grown-up perspective, the story quickly becomes more complex as Julie tried to explain the boys' suspicious behavior. An interesting take on modern immigration and refugees, as well as the complexity of governmental responses.

So pleased that I finally got round to read this unique book - prompted by the enthusiasm of a Y9 boy who said it was great. Along with the Olympics opening ceremony I think it confirms Frank Cottrell Boyce as a true genius. This attractively presented story is warm, funny and highly informative without being sentimental or preachy. It would be great as a class reader - ideal for Y6/Y7.

I got this book in primary school but have only just read it . I love this books because of the way it's set out , in my edition anyway, with pictures and thick lovely pages and big scribbly writing . This book felt so human and was such a good quick read and even though quite strange was a lovely book wrote perfectly from a child's prospective .

Contemporary Mongolia doesn’t have all that many English language children’s novels to its name. And if you asked me to name everything I knew about Mongolia today, I’d probably find myself referring to key scenes in that recent documentary Babies more than anything else. I don’t think I would have selected author Frank Cottrell Boyce to shed any light on the country or its inhabitants. Heck, I’ll take it one step further. With books like Millions and Cosmic under his belt I wouldn’t [...]

I read this book in about an hour. This book deals with the problem of immigrants. Thousands of people love this book, and this book has received an award. But I don't like this book.

In a few short months, Julie will graduate and all her friends will scatter to new schools. But their elementary school has one last surprise waiting for them before they go. When Chingis and Nergui show up to class in their thick fur coats with the sun beating down outside, everyone is intrigued. Then, the teacher asks Nergui to remove his hat and Chingis responds that his brother is like an eagle calmed by a hood, and removing his hat would have disastrous results. These new kids are clearly n [...]

An intriguing book, partly because of its format, with its notebook lined pages and photographs smattered throughout. I liked how this made me as a reader feel like I was more a part of the adventure, and seeing the Polaroids that Chingis was taking really made the story feel more compelling and real.What I found perhaps most interesting about this book was all of the protagonist Julie's assumptions about the lives of Chingis and Nergui back in Mongolia, and how Chingis and Nergui intentionally [...]

During the final term of primary school, a new boy joins Julie O’Connor’s class. Chengis comes from Mongolia. Chengis’ unusual clothes, exotic background and strange world-view fascinate Julie. She is delighted when Chengis asks her to act as ‘Good Guide’ to teach him and his brother Nergui about life in Bootle.Julie longs to be a part of Chengis’ world, which she imagines to be extremely exotic. Chengis encourages her to believe this by telling her stories about life in Mongolia and [...]

A brilliant book that surprised by sucking me into it. I listened to the audiobook and I just love hearing the accents. Towards the end, I started to figure it out but was still wondering if the demon was real or not. Book talk: (show p. 12 pic of coat) If you saw this coat just hanging here, what kind of story do you think it would have? Where did it come from? Who left it? (take the time to hear what kinds of things they have to say) Frank Cottrell Boyce did exactly what you just did; this aut [...]

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children's fiction (marked for ages 8-12). This didn't immediately grab me (despite full color pages and lots of polaroids inserted into pages of the "journal") but I've heard good things and will try to seek out more books by this author in the future. Summary: Julie writes the story of when she befriended two Mongolian immigrants in the 6th/7th grade. They learn a lot from each other; at the very end of the story they all reconnect on Facebook. It's mildly interesting, but not very.

It's a short little book and kids will dig the format and the photos. It's an important story and one that's obviously dear to Mr. Boyce's heart, but for me I didn't really connect with any of the characters. I don't know if that's a cultural thing (by which I mean the story's set in England) or if maybe the photos and notebook paper distracted from the story

lovely little book that made me feel quite nostalgic, not that any of these events happened in my childhood, but the author captured the whole school vibe down perfectlye photo's in the book added a nice element, especially the last onece

A really sweet, sad, funny book. The writing was thoughtful and the story was interesting with a really unique outlook. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would and the fact that it’s inspired by a real story makes it even more touching.

I didn't know what sort of story it was until the end. But this is a story about life, being human and more specifically, the treatment of migrants. Funny and, dare I use the word, poignant.

Holy Cow this book! I want everyone to read it!

The Unforgotten Coat – Frank Cottrell Boyce (2011)• Winner of the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, 2012. • Shortlisted for the Costa Children’s Book Awards, 2011.Short, short, short review: Odd, strangely compelling, mysterious, beautifully written, gorgeous production. Absolutely worth a read for the story, the message and the images. 5/5 stars.Longer review:Frank Cottrell Boyce wrote this book in response to a true story from his first author visit to a primary school, Joan of Arc [...]

Prior to starting "The Unforgotten Coat" by Frank Cottrell Boyce, I was a bit hesitant to jump into it as it didn't seem like my kind of book. I tend to prefer action or futuristic young adult literature, and this appeared to have neither of those aspects. Despite that, I read it anyway since it's one of the summer reading books my new sixth students might choose to read this summer, and I want to be sure that I am able to discuss the book with them. Being set in England, the language and vocabu [...]

When two Mongolian brothers appear one morning in Julie's Year Six class, no one knows what to make of them. But then Chingis, the older of the two, proclaims that Julie is to be their "Good Guide" a nomadic tradition that makes her responsible for welcoming the brothers to their new home. Now Julie must somehow navigate them through soccer, school uniforms, and British slang, all while trying to win Shocky's attention and an invitation to her friend Mimi's house.I mean, how can you not like thi [...]