New Releases by Elizabeth Laird

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.

Forced to flee his home in Syria, a young boy and his family face the dangers of civil war. A moving story of conflict and hope, winner of the UKLA Book Award.

The moving story of a family''s fight to reunite after their lives are torn apart by war in Syria, from Elizabeth Laird, award-winning author of A Little Piece of Ground and Welcome to Nowhere.

Shortlisted for the 2015 CILIP Carnegie Medal, The Fastest Boy in the World is the inspiring and immersive story of a small Ethiopian runner with a very big heart. 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?

Inspired by award-winning author Elizabeth Laird''s own childhood growing up in post-war London, The Misunderstandings of Charity Brown is a classic coming-of-age story, perfect for fans of The Skylarks'' War and I Capture the Castle. Charity Brown’s life is about to change – her family have been left a huge, rambling house by a mysterious benefactor, and her parents want to move in and throw open its doors to the needy. Only recently back from hospital after months of isolation with polio, Charity is over-protected and lonely as the only child still at home. Her family are very religious – her sisters are called Faith and Hope, and her brother Ted is studying to be a preacher – so she''s both excited and nervous at the thought of sharing her family and new home with strangers. It’s a recipe for confusion, joy and endless misunderstandings, including with the new neighbours, an Austrian family with a daughter just Charity’s age . . .

Amir''s worried about the monster under the bed! What if it has huge teeth and growls like a lion? What if it tries to eat him up? And what if the monster has a mum and dad too? But Dad reassures Amir that if the monster family comes to play, then Amir might just make a friend instead.A timeless tale of monsters under the bed, Grobblechops is based on a story by the thirteenth-century poet, philosopher and Sufi mystic Rumi.

Jenny takes her new puppy, Toto, to the circus. Suddenly there''s a whooosh and the circus cannon goes off... Where''s Toto now?! Find out in this exciting story - in Spanish and English. Includes parallel text, speech bubbles, guidance for readers and a quiz to check understanding.

Jenny takes her new puppy, Toto, to the circus. Suddenly there''s a whooosh and the circus cannon goes off... Where''s Toto now?! Find out in this exciting story - in French and English. Includes parallel text, speech bubbles, guidance for readers and a quiz to check understanding.

What''s the good in keeping secrets? Secret Friends is a heartbreaking story about friendship and bullying from the multi-award-winning Elizabeth Laird. Rafaella doesn''t find it easy to make friends. She looks and feels different from the others at school. And Lucy is the first to tease, the first to call her ''Earwig'', until they get to know one another and Lucy sees that Rafaella is full of hopes and ideas, just like she is. Lucy loves keeping her own secret friend, until tragedy strikes and secrets can''t be kept any longer. Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and the Children''s Book Award and reissued with gorgeous illustrations, more than twenty years after first publication, Elizabeth Laird''s moving and unflinching novella brings home the crucial importance of cultivating empathy in young people. ''[A] humane and honest story. It conveys so much, so simply and so well'' Scotsman ''[A] fine weepy with a moral, about the dangers of playground cliquishness and cruelty'' The Sunday Times

Elizabeth Laird retells a beautiful set of folk stories from East Africa and the Middle East. These stories in this collection have travelled across countries, survived through centuries, been retold by generations and have found their way into this book. They are stories of tricks and jokes,leopards and goats, heroes and fools, sorrows and joys - each one of them a perfectly formed gem. TreeTops Greatest Stories offers children some of the world''s best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children''s authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a new generation, engaging and delighting children.The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book.Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.This pack provides 6 copies of the same title.

Finn has always been different, and in the tiny fishing village of Stromhead he sticks out like a sore thumb. Always told to keep away from the water, he''s felt that something was missing until one day he dives in and finds that, swimming with the dolphins, he feels completely at home. But his new friends are in danger of being injured by the rubbish that floats out into the water - and now a supermarket is going to release thousands of balloons that could drift out to sea and cause even more damage. Desperate to help the dolphins, Finn goes to the Lighthouse Crew, a group of kids who have always left Finn out. Will they be able to set aside their differences to save the dolphins? And what will Finn discover about his past along the way? A moving adventure about the impact of plastic pollution on our seas, and the campaigning power of friendship from the award-winning Elizabeth Laird, illustrated by Peter Bailey. ''Song of the Dolphin Boy is such a beautiful, important, heartfelt book. I loved every page'' Lauren St John ''A lively and inspiring tale of village life and the dangers to wildlife of releasing balloons'' The Sunday Times

Oranges in No Man''s Land brings Elizabeth Laird''s emotional and gripping adventure to her next generation of fans. 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 man''s 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 to reach a doctor living in enemy territory.

Bored with her little brother Pog''s childish games, Dindy decides that she''s finally grown-up enough for a real adventure. While her mother is sleeping and the servants are busy, she takes Pog deep into the tea gardens, a place they are never supposed to go alone.Terrified by wild animals and snubbed by the local children, Dindy starts to realize how little she really knows about India, even though it''s the only place she''s ever called home. But little does she know her life is about to be turned upside down when her mother is taken ill and her father tells her they are leaving India, for good.Dindy and the Elephant is a wonderful portrait of a young British child coming to terms with leaving her beloved childhood home, while at the same time realizing that many of the things she has been raised to believe are wrong.

Captivating versions of some of the best myths and legends from around the world. TreeTops Myths and Legends are fascinating and action-packed stories that will motivate and inspire readers. These are some of the oldest and most enduring stories in the world, retold by leading contemporary children''s authors to bring out all of the action, drama, humour and depth of the original stories in a way that makes them as exciting and meaningful today as ever. The stories are beautifully illustrated in a range of styles to bring each tale to life. Books contain inside cover notes to support children in their reading. Help with children''s reading development also available at a href=http://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/"www.oxfordowl.co.uk/a. The books are finely levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. This pack contains 6 books, one of each of: Mythical Beasts and Fabulous Monsters, Why Dogs Have Black Noses, The Journey of Odysseus, Tales of the Underworld,Shapeshifters, The Legend of Gilgamesh."

Captivating versions of some of the best myths and legends from around the world. TreeTops Myths and Legends are fascinating and action-packed stories that will motivate and inspire readers. These are some of the oldest and most enduring stories in the world, retold by leading contemporary children''s authors to bring out all of the action, drama, humour and depth of the original stories in a way that makes them as exciting and meaningful today as ever. The stories are beautifully illustrated in a range of styles to bring each tale to life. Books contain inside cover notes to support children in their reading. Help with children''s reading development also available at a href=http://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/"www.oxfordowl.co.uk/a. The books are finely levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. This pack contains 36 books, six of each of: Fables from Africa, When a Cat Ruled the World, Hercules the Hero, King Midas and other tales, How the World Began, Rama''s Journey."

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. Back in Britain, Laird established herself as a major author of fiction for children and young adults, but she always wanted to return to Ethiopia. Her chance came in the late 1990s, when the British Council in Addis Ababa invited her to collect folk stories from every region of the country. Encountering ex-guerrilla fighters, camel traders, Coptic nuns and tribespeople en route, Laird has written a remarkable account of her journey interwoven with a treasure trove of stories featuring princes and maidens, snakes and lions, zombies and hyena-women.

A story of separation and the strength of family, Lost Riders is a powerful and thought-provoking novel from award-winning author Elizabeth Laird. Taken from their home in Pakistan to work in the Persian Gulf, eight-year-old 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 . . .

A young girl''s ordinary journey through the jungle turns into an amusing adventure, thanks to a few surprising encounters along the way. Beatrice sets out through the lush African jungle to visit her beloved granddad. She carries with her a bunch of beautiful bananas as a special gift for him. But her journey is interrupted as she encounters friendly but mischievous animals, including a giraffe, a parrot, monkeys...even a swarm of bees! When she loses the bananas, every animal tries to replace them with something special, but each gift gets lost in turn. Finally, a friendly elephant reaches high into the trees. Will Granddad get his beautiful bananas after all? Author Elizabeth Laird''s clever, circular folktale is complemented by illustrator Liz Pichon''s bright, bold images of the African jungle and the colorful and exotic animals that live there.

The classic children’s novel of a teenage girl and her special needs brother is “quite simply, a wonderfully moving story about the power of love” (Times Educational Supplement). Twelve-year-old Anna Peacock is looking forward to the birth of her baby brother. But when Ben is born with a rare condition, it is clear that he will never be like other children. Though Anna loves him immensely, she finds herself unable to tell her friends the truth about Ben’s disability. Over the years of Ben’s tragically short life, Anna’s perspective matures and changes. When the truth does come out, it leads not to the ridicule she once expected, but to sympathy and understanding. Highly commended for the Carnegie Medal, Elizabeth Laird’s Red Sky in the Morning is a heartfelt tale of love, loss, family and friendship. “A wry first-person narrative . . . . Discussion of handicaps, death and bereavement, and religious belief are carefully integrated into the story.” —School Library Journal

The British Army is circling the stronghold of the King of Abyssinia. Its mission is to rescue the British Envoy, held prisoner. Watching with terror and awe is the king''s young son, Alamayu. He knows that his father is as brave as a lion, but the fighting is cruel and efficient. By the time it is over, Alamayu is left without parents, throne or friends. In a misguided attempt to care for him, the British take Alamayu to England. There he is befriended by the Queen herself and enrolled at Rugby College to become a ''proper'' English gentleman. What the English see as an honour is, to this lonely Ethiopian prince, terrifying and brutal. The Prince Who Walked With Lions is Alamayu''s story, seen through his eyes: the battle, the journey to England and the trauma of an English public school as he tries to come to terms with the hand that fate has dealt him, skillfully told by Elizabeth Laird.

When twelve-year-old John Barr is forced to join the navy his life takes a dangerous turn. As he trains to become a powder monkey on board the mighty HMS Fearless, he soon learns that the ship hides many secrets. Thrust into a sinister world of spies and covert operations, John must go ashore accompanied by fellow shipmate Kit. But when their mission goes awry, the friends are abandoned and watch from the shore as the Fearless sail away. Can they now survive behind enemy lines? Secrets of the Fearless is a heart-stopping naval adventure of spies and secrets on the high seas.

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.

Gavin''s visit to his grandmother turns into a desperate race to find her before it is too late! An action-packed graphic novel.

Everyone knows the devil is real. Everyone knows that witches exist. Everyone knows that saying the wrong thing can get you hanged ... When fourteen-year-old Maggie''s grandmother is accused of witchcraft, Maggie has to run for her life. But Scotland is in the grip of terror and Maggie runs straight into danger, falling into the hands of the English. Defying the king can be deadly, but falling in line is unthinkable. Maggie must learn to stand up for herself if she is to survive ...

A heartfelt and honest story, and an introduction to the Palestinian struggle for readers between nine and eleven years-old, set on the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Written by Elizabeth Laird, in collaboration with Sonia Nimr, a Palestinian archaeologist, storyteller, writer and translator, who lives in Ramallah. Twelve year-old Karim Aboudi lives with his family in Ramallah, on the West Bank of Palestine. After a terror attack takes place, they are trapped in their home, bound by a strict curfew enforced by the Israeli military. . Like any other child, Karim longs to play football with his mates – not to be stuck inside with his teenage brother and fearful parents. When the curfew ends, he and his friend discover an unused patch of ground that''s the perfect site for a football pitch. Nearby, an old car hidden intact under bulldozed buildings makes a brilliant den. But in this city there''s constant danger, even for schoolboys. And, when Israeli soldiers find Karim outside during the next curfew, it seems impossible that he will survive. ''A fine book, and a daring book'' – Michael Morpurgo, author of War Horse ''This book must go down as a brave, serious and successful attempt to reach out and have this story heard'' – Michael Rosen, poet and author

Inspired by the true story of an African childhood lived on the edge of destitution, award-winning Elizabeth Laird''s The Garbage King 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.

Crusade is a richly detailed historical adventure, from Carnegie shortlisted author, Elizabeth Laird. Two boys. Two faiths. One unholy war . . . When Adam''s mother dies unconfessed, he pledges to save her soul with dust from the Holy Land. Employed as a dog-boy for the local knight, Adam grabs the chance to join the Crusade to reclaim Jerusalem. He burns with determination to strike down the infidel enemy . . . Salim, a merchant''s son, is leading an uneventful life in the port of Acre - until news arrives that a Crusader attack is imminent. To keep Salim safe, his father buys him an apprenticeship with an esteemed, travelling doctor. But Salim''s employment leads him to the heart of Sultan Saladin''s camp - and into battle against the barbaric and unholy invaders . . .