Annelie Drewsen
Amina has come to Sweden from Somalia. Alone. Her Swedish friend Lina discovers
Amina into joining her track and field club. They practice together. And now the first competition is coming up.
RUN, AMINA!
that Amina is good at running. Lina talks
RUN, AMINA! Annelie Drewsen
– en möjlighet för alla
Nypon förlag
Title: Run, Amina! Author: Annelie Drewsen Illustrator: Anders Westerberg Original title: Spring, Amina! First published by Nypon förlag 2014. Translator: Hedda Friberg-Harnesk © 2016 Annelie Drewsen, Anders Westerberg and Nypon förlag Ltd First edition 2016 Number of pages: 52 Lix: 15 Level: From 13 years. ISBN 978-91-7567-521-3 Nypon förlag info@nyponforlag.se www.nyponforlag.se
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Annelie Drewsen
Run, Amina!
Illustrated by Anders Westerberg Translated by Hedda Friberg-Harnesk
Nypon fรถrlag
In this book you will meet: Amina – the main character Amina’s mother – who is still in Kenya Lina – Amina’s friend Lina’s father Camilla – Lina’s and Amina’s track coach
1 The firecracker
It’s a sunny day. Lots of people are out and about. The town center is crowded. Amina and Lina walk across the square. – Come on! Lina says. Let’s see if they have any nice clothes. She points to the shop on the corner. Amina is not going to buy anything. She is saving as much money as possible. Soon she will send the money to her mother.
3
But it will be fun to go with Lina to the shop. They pass a mother with a crying child. Two old men are sitting on a bench. Two boys come running. Suddenly there is a loud bang. Like a shot. BANG! Amina gets scared. Without thinking, she turns and runs. She runs as fast as she can. She has done this before. When there is a loud bang, you run. Running saved her life once. She was still in Somalia. 4
She and her brother Ahmed were on their way home from school. They were talking and laughing. Then someone started shooting. Amina ran. She escaped, but her brother did not. He died. In her head, she sees Ahmed’s face. Her beloved big brother. Now he is dead. He and many others. Amina runs across the square. She races across the bridge, through the park and keeps going. Her legs move fast. Her heart beats hard. But Amina keeps running.
5
– Wait Amina! That is Lina’s voice. Amina stops and turns. Behind her, Lina comes running. – Why are you running? That was just a firecracker. Amina looks down. She stares at the ground. Then she remembers. This is Sweden. She doesn’t have to run for her life any more. She feels ashamed, but she says nothing. Lina smiles and wipes sweat from her face. – Never mind. It doesn’t matter. You know, you run really fast. You should come with me the next time I have practice. 6
– What practice? Amina asks. – Track and field. I compete in short distances. I am a sprinter. In the evening, Amina is alone in her room. The other kids in her part of the house are watching TV. Amina wants to be alone. She looks out the window. There is a tree out there. Green leaves are beginning to grow on it. It is spring. Two birds fly back and forth. They are building a nest. A home. Amina remembers her home in Somalia. 7
She lived there with her mother and Ahmed. They were a family. When Ahmed was killed, Amina and her mother fled. They went to Kenya. After a few months, Amina went to Sweden. Her mother is still in Kenya. She lives there with Amina’s cousin Sagal. Amina pulls out her cell phone and calls mother. – My friend wants me to go training with her. – Why? her mother asks. – She says I run fast. – Your friend is right. You are fast. Just like your brother was. 8
There is a silence. Amina hears her mother crying. Amina cries too. It hurts to think of Ahmed. And it hurts to be so far away from mother. But then mother says: – Don’t cry, Amina. Run!
9