Summary of chapters 1-5

Jamal and his friends are playing soccer when Bibi, his younger sister, unexpectedly joins them. Women and girls in Afghanistan aren’t allowed to leave the house without wearing a burqa or they will be prosecuted. They are also not allowed to play soccer or go outside unaccompanied by a male. Bibi runs in front of Jamal and does an enormous kick. The ball goes onto the desert’s lonely plains that are full of landmines. There are also many tanks in this area. Bibi runs off to get the ball. Jamal tries to tackle her but she moves over leaving Jamal in the sand. Jamal warns Bibi about stepping on a land mine. Bibi manages to get to the ball without stepping on a land mine. Jamal gets to her by stepping on Bibi’s footsteps. The barrel of the supposedly abandoned tank in front of Bibi moves. Jamal tells Bibi to lie down. Bibi slowly steps back without the ball and lies downs next to Jamal. Jamal tells Bibi to run away and that he will get the ball and will follow her as soon as he can. Bibi runs away carefully stepping on her own footsteps. Jamal lurches forward to get the ball but realizes that the ball is wedged underneath the tracks of the tank. Jamal tries to pull the ball out but the ball is stuck and won’t come out. Jamal talks to the tank about how he wants to be brave .The tank reverses off the ball and disappears into the desert. Jamal grabs the ball and as he slowly walks back stepping on his footsteps, he hears his friend yell that Bibi has stepped on a land mine. Jamal gets worried and runs toward his friend’s frantic screams. When he gets there he sees his friend pushing on Bibi’s foot. Jamal switches places with Bibi so that he is on the landmine. Jamal tells Bibi to go and tell their mother and father about the land mine. Bibi goes away but runs back and accidentally pushes Jamal off of the landmine. The landmine doesn’t explode.

Kick Off: Boy Overboard

Boy Overboard is about a boy Jamal and his younger sister Bibi. They live in Afghanistan, where females have few or no rights. Throughout this book, we discover the challenging lives of present-day refugees.

Jamal lives in a small village located near a dangerous desert of land mines and tanks. Everyday the eleven year old boy faces risky challenges and consequences such as protecting his stubborn and independent younger sister Bibi and worrying about his family and what will happen in the near future.

The lives of these young people are quite different from ours. As we read, it really makes us think about our own lives and how lucky we are. We also think about how the laws in our country are so different to the laws in other countries.

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By Cheyenne, Nicola, Nicole and Ellen.