Module 1 - A TIME OF MIRACLES by Anne-Laure Bondoux

Bibliography
Bondoux, Anne-Laure. 2009. A TIME OF MIRACLES. New York, NY: Delacourt Press. ISBN 10-0385739222

Plot Summary
A young boy, Komail (also known as Blaise Fortune) travels across war-torn Europe in the 1990s as a refugee with the woman who cares for him.  The little boy's origin is a mystery throughout the book while the woman who cares for him, Gloria, reveals bits and pieces about his past throughout their five year journey together.  Throughout their journey, they encounter numerous hardships but also meet many people along the way with whom Koumail forms strong relationships with. The turmoil that is going on around them as they travel remains a mystery for the reader as well because the cause of the war and the reasons that Gloria and Koumail are refugees are not revealed until the very end of the book. 

Critical Analysis
I was unfamiliar with the Iron Curtain and the troubles in the Soviet Union in the 1990s when I first read this book.  I was a little confused throughout the story about the actual setting and and reasons behind the war-torn environment, but I did not find these details necessary to enjoy the story.  Though the story is not illustrated, Bondoux's easy descriptions make the reader feel as though they are seeing the character's feelings.  A sense of suspenseful tension is felt throughout the story as the reader experiences Koumail's exhaustion with the never-ending traveling and food shortage and when he "catches a despair."  I connected even more personally with Koumail's hardships and successes because I was born just three months after him.  It was enlightening to read about what so many children my own age had to endure just because of where they lived.

The setting changes many times within this story as the characters travel across Europe.  The main settings are the Complex and Souma-Soula in The Republic of Georgia, Sukhumi in Russia, and the Boarding School in Poitiers, France.  Bondoux includes maps in the beginning of the book that chronicle Koumail's and Gloria's journey as well as some of the important things that happen at each location.  Bondoux includes authentic descriptions of the various settings, especially those places that were unpleasant to stay. 

Language plays a big part in this story as Koumail is raised speaking Russian but is told that he is really French and tries to learn to speak some French on his five-year journey to France.  On his journey he meets people from all over Europe and Asia who speak many different languages and sometimes the characters experience a language barrier.  Russian and French words, phrases, poems, and songs are used throughout the text.  Koumail comforts and saves himself from detection by learning common phrases in French.  Bondoux uses italics to set these words apart in most cases and defines almost all of the french phrases directly after.  However she chooses not to translate the Russian words, poems and songs.

Bondoux also includes tools and other cultural markers, such as physical descriptions of dark hair, darker skinned people in the story which adds to the authenticity of the culture representation.  The Samovar that Gloria and Koumail carry around and the lamb-skin blanket are things that I was unfamiliar with.  Bondoux explained that they used the samovar to boil water, but I had to use my imagination to picture it because a description was not provided. 

Overall, Bondoux does an outstanding job of taking the reader into the world of war-torn Europe and the Caucasus Mountains in the 1990s. 

Review Excerpts
*Batchelder Award Winner 2011

Booklist: "Bondoux creates indelible scenes of resilient children who, like Koumaïl, find strength in painful memories."

School Library Journal: "The story is written in beautiful, quiet prose and offers a touch of hope, along with tragedy. The characters and story are well formed, but young people unfamiliar with the circumstances of life behind the Iron Curtain and the collapse of the Soviet Union might be confused as much of the conflict and political situation isn't explained until near the end of the book. However, those who stay with it will be rewarded with an exceptional story."

Connections
This book would be good to use with any unit that discusses war and war refugees, especially a unit on the fall of the iron curtain.

Bondoux, Anne-Laure. 2003. THE KILLERS TEARS. New York: Delacourt Press. ISBN 10-0385733844