Elizabeth Laird

During the Israeli occupation of Ramallah in the West Bank of Palestine, twelve-year-old Karim and his friends create a secret place for themselves where they can momentarily forget the horrors of war.

A little piece of ground

This is the story of children who live on the very edge of destitution. Dani and Mamo, and the gang of street boys that they join, have nothing and share everything. Their courage, loyalty and determination enable them to survive in the harshest of worlds.

The Garbage King

In seventeenth-century Scotland, sixteen-year-old Maggie Blair is sentenced to be hanged as a witch but escapes to the home of her uncle, placing him and his family in great danger as she risks her life to save them all from the King's men.

The Betrayal of Maggie Blair

Twelve-year-old Omar and his brothers and sisters were born and raised in the beautiful and bustling city of Bosra, Syria. Omar doesn't care about politics - all he wants is to grow up to become a successful businessman who will take the world by storm. But when his clever older brother, Musa, gets mixed up with some young political activists, everything changes . . . Before long, bombs are falling, people are dying, and Omar and his family have no choice but to flee their home with only what they can carry. Yet no matter how far they run, the shadow of war follows them - until they have no other choice than to attempt the dangerous journey to escape their homeland altogether. But where do you go when you can't go home?

Welcome to Nowhere

Peter Bailey

Eleven-year-old Solomon loves to run! The great athletes of the Ethiopian national team are his heroes and he dreams that one day he will be a gold-medal-winning athlete like them, in spite of his ragged shorts and bare feet. When his grandfather announces that he's going to take Solomon to Addis Ababa, Solomon cannot believe his ears. A trip to the capital? It's unfathomable. Solomon's joy is increased when he realizes that the Ethiopian running team will be doing a victory parade through the city that day. Maybe he'll get a glimpse of Haile Gebrselassie or Derartu Tulu?! But Solomon's grandfather has other plans. As Solomon follows him through the big, overwhelming streets, he learns something he cannot believe. The strict old man is a war hero who once risked his life to save a friend and has been in hiding ever since. When grandfather collapses, Solomon knows that getting help from his village is up to him. It's a twenty-mile run from the city to home, and grandfather's life hangs in the balance. Can the small bare-footed runner with the big heart do it?

The Fastest Boy in the World

Highly Commended for the Carnegie Medal and runner-up for the Children's Book Award, RED SKY IN THE MORNING is remarkably moving and beautifully narrated.Twelve-year-old Anna is looking forward to the birth of her baby brother. Ben arrives, but is disabled and will never be like other children. Anna loves him with her whole heart but she finds herself unable to admit the truth of Ben's condition to her school friends. Eventually the truth gets out and leads not to the ridicule Anna expected, but sympathy and understanding.

Red Sky in the Morning

Since her father left Lebanon to find work and her mother tragically died in a shell attack, ten-year-old Ayesha has been living in the bomb-ravaged city of Beirut with her granny and her two younger brothers. The city has been torn in half by civil war and a desolate, dangerous no mans land divides the two sides. Only militiamen and tanks dare enter this deadly zone, but when Granny falls desperately ill Ayesha sets off on a terrifying journey across no mans land to reach a doctor living in enemy territory.

Oranges in No Man's Land

Sonia Nimr

A Little Piece of Ground

Shirin Adl

Retells the ancient Iranian epic poem of the tenth century, and includes tales of the Simurgh--a giant bird who brings an orphaned king into her nest--man-eating snakes, and the great hero Rustam.

The Persian Book of Kings

Shahnameh

Seven stories celebrating peace, kindness, and forgiveness from seven countries that have all suffered from wars and conflicts in recent times told by an award-winning author. Will two clans in Ethiopia make peace by throwing their most precious possessions in the river? Can a poor Palestinian shepherd show a rich sultan the value of true kindness? Or will an angel in Afghanistan find a way to turn the selfish Emir into a caring ruler? Buried treasure and an act of forgiveness reunite a father and daughter in Sudan while a camel is the key to choosing a kind and fair ruler for the kingdom of Yemen. Hear the Syrian story of the woodcutter and the lion to discover the meaning of friendship, and then follow nine courageous Uighur princesses of Kashgar, as they bring peace to their kingdom – without any fighting. The importance of peace and kindness in our lives shines through these timeless, inspirational stories from seven countries, beautifully told and illustrated with empathy and humor.

Stories of Peace and Kindness

Folktales for a Better World

Tara is an ordinary teenager. Although her country, Kurdistan, is caught up in a war, the fighting seems far away. It hasn't really touched her. Until now. The secret police are closing in. Tara and her family must flee to the mountains with only the few things they can carry. It is a hard and dangerous journey - but their struggles have only just begun. Will anywhere feel like home again?

Kiss the Dust

Stinker Muggles and the Dazzle Bug (Colour Jets)

Welcome to Nowhere is a powerful and beautifully written story about the life of one family caught up in civil war by the award-winning author Elizabeth Laird, shortlisted for the Scottish Teen Book Award and winner of the UKLA Book Award. Twelve-year-old Omar and his brothers and sisters were born and raised in the beautiful and bustling city of Bosra, Syria. Omar doesn't care about politics - all he wants is to grow up to become a successful businessman who will take the world by storm. But when his clever older brother, Musa, gets mixed up with some young political activists, everything changes . . . Before long, bombs are falling, people are dying, and Omar and his family have no choice but to flee their home with only what they can carry. Yet no matter how far they run, the shadow of war follows them - until they have no other choice than to attempt the dangerous journey to escape their homeland altogether. But where do you go when you can't go home? '[Sings] with truth' - The Times 'A muscular, moving, thought-provoking book' - Guardian 'Humane and empathetic . . . an effective call to action' - The Sunday Times 'Powerful, heart-breaking and compelling' - Scotsman

Cöplük Krali

In 1967, at the age of 23, Elizabeth Laird set off for Addis Ababa to take up her first teaching post. She was introduced to Haile Selassie, made a pilgrimage across the mountains on foot to the ancient city of Lalibela, hitched a ride on an oil tanker across the Danakil Desert, and was arrested for a murder she had not committed.

The Storytellers of Ethiopia

The Lure of the Honey Bird

Taken to work in a strange country, Rashid and his little brother Shari cling to each other. Then they are separated and forced to become jockeys in the lucrative camel-racing business. Rashid is starved and worked to exhaustion by harsh supervisors - but he has a talent for racing and quickly becomes his stable's star jockey. Soon he begins to forget what life was like when he had a proper home. He almost begins to forget about Shari . . .

Lost Riders

Her father's involvement with the Kurdish resistance movement in Iraq forces thirteen-year-old Tara to flee with her family over the border into Iran, where they face an unknown future.

Young Adam eagerly joins the Crusade to reclaim the Holy Land in the service of a local knight, while a doctor's apprentice in the camp of Sultan Saladin hopes to avoid engaging in conflict with the invading crusaders.

Crusade

'It's good that I've found this secret place. I can come here and make plans. My main plan for the future is my dream house. It's very tall and thin. A tower really. There'll be a lift to whiz me up to the top. No one can get to me up there. It's totally safe.' In real life, Jake is never safe. He lives in constant fear of his mother's violent boyfriend. But in his imaginary tower he can dream up his own father - the stranger who gave him a cuddle and a fluffy duck the day he was born and went away for ever. Jake doesn't believe dreams ever come true. But sometimes they do - in strange and surprising ways.

Elizabeth Laird

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