• Age: 12 to 18
• Grade: 8 to 12
• Reading age: 12 to 18

Little Sanctuary takes place in a Global South falling apart and wracked by war. Teenaged Sabel and her younger siblings are sent for safekeeping to a boarding school on a distant island. After discovering their guardians mean to do them harm, Sabel rallies the others and plots a dangerous escape.

Randy Boyagoda is a novelist and professor of English at the University of Toronto. His novels, which include Original Prin and Dante’s Indiana, have been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, and the IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize. He lives in Toronto with his wife and four daughters. Little Sanctuary is his first novel for young readers.

Randy Boyagoda's profile page

"Little Sanctuary is a timeless story about good versus evil...thought-provoking. Highly recommended."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

★ "Perceptive depictions of class dynamics and societal collapse dominate this fever-dream read with Lord of the Flies undertones."

Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Boyagoda's young readers' debut explores themes of hope, belief, and resiliency...[Little Sanctuary is] a thought-provoking work for readers interested in exploring conflict and its aftereffects."

Kirkus

"A multilayered narrative that evokes the heartbreaking headlines today."

Desi News