The Silence Seeker

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

When a new family moves in next door, Joe's mom explains that they are asylum seekers. But Joe hears that they are silence seekers, especially when Mom adds that they need peace and quiet. When he sees a young boy from the family sitting on the steps, Joe decides to help him find a nice quiet place, but unfortunately the city is very noisy!

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Publishers Weekly Review

British author Morley's poignant story hangs on a play on words that children may not recognize; Joe's mother describes the teenage son of his new neighbors as an "asylum seeker," but Joe hears "silence seeker." With some effort, Joe, a boy with brown skin, black hair, and glasses, convinces the teenager to visit his secret neighborhood refuges. "I know all the quiet places around here and I can help you find a Silence... if you like!" But they find that each one has been usurped: the laundry room, for example, is full of "biggies," other teens who are "banging and crashing and jumping about to shouty music." Except for the sandwich Joe gives the teen, the expedition is a failure, and the next morning, the neighboring family is gone. Pearce's manga-style art shows grungy urban scenes honestly, with graffitied walls and characterless signs. Joe's real question has to do not with the asylum seeker, but with his own life: can he find silence for himself? The story ends irresolutely, and readers will feel the weight of all Joe has to deal with. Ages 5-7. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

School Library Journal Review

Gr 2-4-When Joe notices a new boy next door, Mum tells him that his neighbor is an "asylum seeker," which Joe mistakenly transforms into "a Silence Seeker." In a way, he is not far off the mark. With two jam sandwiches in hand, Joe takes this stranger all over the city to show him all the quiet places. While the new boy remains silent himself, Joe realizes that in a city there are no silent places; noise is everywhere. "We went down to the dump..But there was a bench full of down-and-outs, mumbling and groaning and crying at the world." Joe's attempt to befriend his neighbor is rewarded when the youngster holds his hand as they walk home together. The next day, however, the child and his family have disappeared, and Joe wonders if they left in search of silence. Despite the mention of "asylum seekers," the term is never explained or fleshed out in any way. The comic-book style illustrations never reveal the ethnicity of the new boy so tying him to a specific culture is not possible. Teachers who are searching for a book with a different take on immigration-"forced immigration," really-might find this useful, but it has limited child appeal.-Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

A new boy and his family"asylum seekers"have moved into Joe's building. "He has come from far away, looking for peace and quiet," explains Joe's mum. To Joe's ears, it sounds like they are "silence seekers." A language barrier prevents Joe from communicating verbally, so instead, he extends his hand and takes the new boy on a search for "the silence" through an overcrowded, bustlingly noisy city. But in all the places that might have provided a quiet respite, there are only the loud crashing of "biggies...jumping about to shouty music," the moaning and groaning of a bunch of "down-and-outs" and rowdy mischief makers under the highway. The offer of a sandwich with a smile seals a temporary friendship before the boy mysteriously leaves with his family in the middle of the night. Pearce's sharp-edged, bright, almost graphic-novelstyle artwork brings out the cacophonous, tense urban atmosphere in this story, but they fail to provide the background left out by the opaque text. Ultimately this British import leaves readers with as much of a letdown as it does its protagonist. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.