New Releases by Elizabeth Laird

From award-winning and beloved children''s author Elizabeth Laird comes a stunning edition of The Fastest Boy in the World, with a cover illustration by Zeamanuel Abera, an updated author letter and additional content from the author, including discussion notes. This must-read modern classic was shortlisted for the CLPE Carnegie Medal and includes black and white illustrations by Peter Bailey. Eleven-year-old Solomon loves to run; he dreams that one day he will be a gold-medal-winning athlete, in spite of his ragged shorts and bare feet. When his grandfather announces that he''s going to take Solomon to Ethiopia''s capital, Addis Ababa, Solomon cannot believe his ears. And he is even more excited to hear that the Ethiopian running team will be doing a victory parade through the city that day! But then Solomon''s grandfather collapses – and Solomon knows that getting help from his village is up to him. It''s a twenty-mile run from the city to home, and his grandfather''s life hangs in the balance. Can the small, bare-footed runner with the big heart make the journey? This edition includes brilliant extra material, such as: - An introduction by Elizabeth Laird - Extra content from the author, including reading group questions

Two Crafty Jackals is a series of nested tales within tales illustrating examples of right or wrong behaviour that lead to good or bad results. Dimnah the jackal seeks to destroy the friendship between the King of Lions and Shanzabeh the bull out of jealousy and then must face the consequences.

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.

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

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.

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.

From award-winning and beloved children''s author Elizabeth Laird comes a stunning edition of Kiss the Dust, with a cover illustration by Roshi Rouzbehani, an author letter and additional content from the author, including discussion notes. A must-read modern classic, this is an unforgettable, award-winning novel of conflict, persecution and the hardships faced by refugees. 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, and 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? This edition includes brilliant extra material, such as: - An introduction by Elizabeth Laird - Extra content from the author, including reading group questions

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.