The Ones That Disappeared

A powerful and moving story of three trafficked children searching for freedom and hope.

Around the world, millions of people - including many children - are victims of human trafficking. These modern-day slaves often go unseen even in our own cities and towns, their voices silent and their stories untold. In this incredible book, Zana Fraillon imagines the story of three such children, Esra, Miran and Isa. The result is powerful, heartbreaking and unforgettable.

Esra, Miran and Isa work for the Snakeskin gang, tending to plants in the dark and airless basement of a house they are not allowed to leave. They've been told that they belong to the Snakeskins, but Esra knows that she belongs to no one - and she is determined to find freedom.

This is a SKELLIG for this generation; beautiful, magical and with Zana Fraillon's incredible talent for combining important global issues with extraordinary storytelling.

A CBCA Notable book.

Acclaim for Zana Fraillon's THE BONE SPARROW:
2017 ABIA Book of the Year for Older Children
Winner, Readings Young Adult Book Prize 2017
CBCA Honour Book 2017 - Older Readers
Shortlisted for the 2017 Prime Minister's Literary Awards
Shortlisted for the 2017 Queensland Literary Awards
Shortlisted for the 2017 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards
Shortlisted for The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2016
Shortlisted for the Gold Inky Award 2017
Shortlisted for the 2017 CILIP Carnegie Medal
Carnegie Medal Amnesty CILIP Honour Book 2017
IBBY Australia Honour Book 2018

About the Author

Zana Fraillon was born in Melbourne, but spent her early childhood in San Francisco. Zana has written two picture books for young children, a series for middle readers, and a novel for older readers based on research and accounts of survivors of the Forgotten Generation. She spent a year in China teaching English and now lives in Melbourne with her three sons, husband and two dogs. When Zana isn't reading or writing, she likes to explore the museums and hidden passageways scattered across Melbourne.

They provide the same excitement as that moment before opening a new book - preparing to step into the unknown where a whole world of possibilities awaits.