Three children, held as slaves in abasement is the premise for this wonderful but woeful tale.

Such an intense and powerful novel, so beautifully written is a must read. The children's main consideration is to be free, and when the moment arrives they make a  run for it but in doing so they are separated.

It is truly heartbreaking at times with snippets of humour, and I think should be on every persons reading list young or old.

This book was incredibly hard to read - it dealt with the reality of child slavery and gang masters. Three children escape from slavery but are separated - Miran is arrested and Esra escapes with a small child to care for. They meet a local boy with his own issues who helps them. They create a mud man who comes to life and who enables them to face their fears, their pasts and gives them a way forward. Again hope arises from an apparently hopeless situation.

I spoke to my book group about how this book makes you think about a hidden story - one which we know goes on but which we do not think about as so many other news stories compete for our attention. The author personalises a statistic and makes it memorable.

One I will be recommending.

Fraillon's book about human trafficking has been touted as the Skellig for a new generation...
This is not an easy read - the story behind what the kids tell us is truly upsetting - but it is vital.

I am a big fan of Fraillon's previous book, The Bonr Sparrow, and the delicate but hard-hitting way in which it dealt with big issues like the refugee crisis and detention of children. The Ones That Disappeared takes on another challenging and topical subject in modern slavery and the terrible risks taken by people in search of a better life.
The early chapters show Esra, Miran and Isa trapped in a basement, forced to pay off the debt of their journey by looking after marijuana plants for Orlando, their terrifying 'owner'. There's a palpable sense of claustrophobia and fear, culminating in an accident and the children's escape.
Obviously I was very pleased the children escaped (I hope it's obvious, anyway). I did, however,  feel like the story came part a bit once the trio escaped captivity. Miran is arrested and hospitalised, while Esra and Isa find shelter in a cave and befriend a local misfit. The narrative became a bit confusing here, with multiple PoVs, and it didn't seem like much was really happening. I was expecting a more sustained use of the hard-hitting style of the novel's opening, but the children's arcs became a bit meandering once they escaped.
In Conclusion: a YA book that tackles such difficult issues is clearly something that should be read, and in that respect, The Ones That Disappeared is a vital read. There is a definite and quite odd shift in the tone and action early on which didn't work for me, but this shouldn't deter anyone else from reading it.
Review to appear on blog.

The Ones that Disappeared is a short but powerful read about the hopes and dreams of three children who are enslaved. Their journey really begins when they escape and try to make their way home. 

Fraillon's use of language is superb and the text does read more like poetry than prose at times. I felt the pace of the book dropped a little in the middle and did not enjoy the fantasy element of the riverman but I can see how this would appeal to others.

A thought-prolong YA read that will open up conversations about slavery and free will within the modern world.