The Garbage King - Hardcover

Laird, Elizabeth

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0764156799 ISBN 13: 9780764156793

Publisher: B E S Pub Co, 2003

Synopsis

This novel of unusual power for older boys and girls tells the gripping and dramatic story of homeless street children forced to do whatever they have to do in order to stay alive in the brutal slums of an Ethiopian city. The two main characters, Mamo and Dani, come from stable families but are hurled by circumstances beyond their control into the dangers and deprivations of street life. They find a makeshift way to survive when they are taken into a street gang led by a tough but likable boy named Million. The gang is composed of kids who have never known the security and happiness of family life. Children of our own culture, who take for granted the protections and comforts of home and family, will be shocked when they read this spellbinding story, but they will also learn about the deprivations, uncertainties, and sometimes the stark terror experienced today by too many Third World children. The story of Mamo and Dani, although alarming in its authenticity, is also an inspiring tale of courage and generosity in a world where danger and anxiety are the norm.

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Reviews

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
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gr. 5-8. Laird has lived and worked in Ethiopia, and this contemporary survival story is rooted in the true-life stories of street children she knows in Addis Ababa. Dani is a rich, fat kid, failing at school, who runs away from his bullying dad. Orphan Mamo, kidnapped and sold as a slave to a cruel farmer, escapes and returns to the city. The runaways meet in the city cemetery, where they hide out until they join a gang of homeless kids. Under the direction of their stern leader, the gang members care for one another and share everything, including what they scavenge from the garbage and beg from passers-by. The cast is huge, but the characters are so strongly individualized that it is easy to keep them straight. The ending is a bit too happy, at least for Mamo and Dani, who go home and handle the powerful adults. It's the elemental friendship story of fear and hope that will draw in readers. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: B E S Pub Co
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0764156799
• ISBN 13: 9780764156793
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336