The Garbage King - Softcover

Laird, Elizabeth

3.99

1,347 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0330415026 ISBN 13: 9780330415026

Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books, 2004

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Inspired by the true story of an African childhood lived on the edge of destitution, award-winning Elizabeth Laird’s new novel takes readers on an unforgettable emotional journey.

When Mamo’s mother dies, he is abandoned in the shanties of Addis Ababa. Stolen by a child-trafficker and sold to a farmer, he is cruelly treated. Escaping back to the city, he meets another, very different runaway. Dani is rich, educated – and fleeing his tyrannical father. Together they join a gang of homeless street boys who survive only by mutual bonds of trust and total dependence on each other.

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About the Author:

Elizabeth Laird has had a love affair with Ethiopia – it’s people’s, culture, language and history – all her life. She lived and taught there for several years and returns often. The stories she learned from street children in Addis led directly to the writing of THE GARBAGE KING.

Her critically acclaimed children’s books include KISS THE DUST (winner of the Children’s Book Award), SECRET FRIENDS (nominated for the Carnegie Medal), RED SKY IN THE MORNING (0 330 39867 9, Highly Commended for the Carnegie Medal, shortlisted for the Children’s Book Award), and JAKE’S TOWER (0 330 39803 2, shortlisted for the 2001 Carnegie Medal).

She lives on the edge of Richmond Park, Surrey with her husband.

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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