From the 20th century onwards, challenges faced by refugee populations have become increasingly well known. Indeed, since the end of World War II, there have never been so many refugees or asylum seekers around the world. As a result of the careful attention now devoted to migratory phenomena and to their social and cultural impact, recent years have seen a surge in the presence of such themes in children s and youth literature — segments which have historically viewed literature as an instrument to culturally apprehend the world. In contemporary times, a symbolic effort is repeatedly made to encourage children and youth to reflect on the crisis; moreover, there is a growing interest in analysing literary works which may raise awareness about the material conditions of refuge. In light of this panorama, this dissertation analyses five literary works: Migrando (2015), by Mariana Chiesa Mateos; Para onde vamos (2016), written by Jairo Buitrago and illustrated by Rafael Yockteng; O cometa é um sol que não deu certo (2017), written by Tadeu Sarmento and illustrated by Apo Fousek; A menina que abraça o vento (2018), written by Fernanda Paraguassu and illustrated by Suryara Bernardi; and Refugiados (2019), by Alan Gratz. As it acknowledges the contemporary relevance of refuge-related issues, our study reflects on the imaginary construction of the refugee child in the works of children s and youth literature which compose our corpus. In particular, we wish to discuss the de-stabilizing experiences undergone by the characters and to critically approach the social issues which frame and inform the narratives. Finally, we aim to advance a new reading of the narratives in focus and to broaden their interpretive possibilities.