0:21:02 > 0:21:07Everyone around you has a story, if you just stop and ask them.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11And books are a brilliant way of discovering some of those stories.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13Stories like Alem's,
0:21:13 > 0:21:16in this book called Refugee Boy.
0:21:16 > 0:21:21Alem's mother is from Eritrea, a country in Africa.
0:21:21 > 0:21:26And Alem's father is from Ethiopia, the country just over the border.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28When war breaks out between these two countries,
0:21:28 > 0:21:32neither place is safe for Alem and his parents.
0:21:33 > 0:21:34Alem is just 14.
0:21:36 > 0:21:37He's in real danger.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45The soldier raised his rifle and pointed it at Alem's mother.
0:21:45 > 0:21:46"You are a traitor!"
0:21:47 > 0:21:51He turned and pointed the rifle at Alem's father.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53"And he is the enemy!"
0:21:54 > 0:21:58Then he turned and pointed the rifle at Alem's forehead.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00"And he is a mongrel."
0:22:06 > 0:22:08With hatred and war all around them,
0:22:08 > 0:22:11Alem's dad does something very brave.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15He brings Alem to Britain and leaves him here
0:22:15 > 0:22:17so he won't die in the fighting back at home.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24Britain isn't Alem's home, so he must become a refugee here.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28And that life is hard, full of shocks and new experiences.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30Appearing in court in front of judges,
0:22:30 > 0:22:35having his fingerprints taken, and questions, questions, all the time.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38New lessons at the new school. New people, new music.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41Even the diet is new.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45Meat and two veg, and gravy just to keep the food wet.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48But, Alem does get a new foster family.
0:22:48 > 0:22:53Here, where I am, in Manor Park, in East London.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55And these are the streets that Alem walks.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57Taking it one day at a time
0:22:57 > 0:23:01but never forgetting everything he has left behind.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Alem missed seeing animals that weren't just pets.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07He missed the sounds of home,
0:23:07 > 0:23:10he missed the smell of its earth.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14The smell of its people, and even the smell of its cities.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16But the home Alem loves is a war zone.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19And, suddenly, he can't believe it.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22Alem discovers his new home, Britain,
0:23:22 > 0:23:25may be about to send him back there.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30Alem is honest and brave.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32He fights to stay alive.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34He fights back.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38So do his new friends here in Manor Park.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40So, if you read Refugee Boy,
0:23:40 > 0:23:44you can meet Alem and discover the rest of his story yourself.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47I think that's why books are so fantastic.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50Because they tell the stories of extraordinary people.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52People I bet you see around you everyday.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54And you are one of those people, too.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56So, after reading someone else's story,
0:23:56 > 0:24:00why not sit down and write one of your own?
0:24:00 > 0:24:01A story about you.