The Garbage King - Hardcover

Laird, Elizabeth

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0435130544 ISBN 13: 9780435130541

Publisher: New Windmills, 2004

Synopsis

The quiet of Dani's hiding place in the dark graveyard was disturbed by the sound of someone panting close by. Instantly awake, he saw a wild looking figure: a tall thin creature who stood starting at him, poised for flight." Mamo is sold into slavery after his mother's death and escapes. Dani is on the run from his rich but controlling father. The two boys come from very different worlds but are drawn together as they learn to survive on the city streets.

About this title

About the Author:

Elizabeth Laird was born in New Zealand but has lived in England since early childhood. She has written many children’s books and has won several awards. Her critically praised Red Sky in the Morning was “Highly Commended” for the Carnegie Medal and shortlisted for the Children’s Book Award. Her previous novel for Barron’s, Jake’s Tower, was published in 2002. She and her husband live in Surrey, England.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 8 Up-The harsh reality that faces countless children in developing nations is confronted head-on in this powerful and moving novel, as is the gross disparity between the haves and have-nots. Set in Ethiopia, it brings together the stories of two very different boys whose lives converge and are changed forever. After his mother dies, Mamo, 13, is tricked by a slaver and sold to a farmer in the country miles away from the only home he has ever known. After months of brutal treatment, he escapes and makes it back to Addis Ababa where he meets Dani, a chubby boy who has spent his life cloistered in the world of privilege. He is a talented writer, but other areas of his studies elude him, leading his strict father to send him away to be disciplined. Dani runs away to avoid this fate and meets up with Mamo. They meet a gang of street children, led by a boy named Million. Street life with this group is difficult and dangerous, but the boys become a family and both their tragedies and triumphs are painted in vivid, authentic, and often horrific detail. Background for the story's inspiration is included in an introduction and an afterword. Readers are sure to become involved in this compelling story, and teachers will find a wealth of inspiration to lead their students in further research.
Genevieve Gallagher, Orange County Public Library, VA
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About this edition

• Publisher: New Windmills
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0435130544
• ISBN 13: 9780435130541
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288