One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | June 2017 Debut of the Month
In a Nutshell: Spirit of survival abounds on an epic Himalayan journey A captivatingly classic adventure in which two children battle extreme political and environmental hostilities as they journey from Tibet to India.
By day Tash’s dad writes for the authority-controlled local newspaper. By night he writes leaflets for the resistance. On this particular night, after a local tailor sets himself alight to protest the regime, soldiers seize Tash’s parents. With a defiant determination that belies her 12 years, Tash wastes no time in putting a plan into action. “I have the luck of the sky dragon,” she encourages herself, thinking of her dad’s words as she and best friend Sam embark on an extraordinary journey to India, where they hope to secure the support of the Dalai Lama. But time is against them, as is the terrain. Winter is on its way, and the perilous paths of the Himalayan Mountains will soon be blocked by snow. And then there’s the snipers who appear through the mists, and the bear tracks that appear in the snow and, all the while, Tash and Sam are struggling to decipher a coded message from her father.
“We're so small. Can we really make a difference?” Tash wonders but, at its heart, this novel tells the tale of her tenacity, and ability to do just that. It’s a thrilling fable about hope, and the importance of holding onto what matters, no matter what. With its derring-do charm, and vivid sense of place, this follows in the tradition of classic adventure stories, and comes thoroughly recommended for fans of Eva Ibbotson, Lauren St John and Katherine Rundell. ~ Joanne Owen
A message from the author: I spent much of my childhood living in the foothills of the Himalayas with my parents and grandparents. My grandma would take my hand and tell me stories of her adventures: how she travelled to India by boat at ten years old; gardened with the Dalai Lama when he first arrived and encountered many animals. There was the black bear that stole the dog food, the leopard cub my uncle rescued and rehabilitated, and the monkey that would climb into bed with everyone. Soon, one of my favourite things to do was to clamber over the mountains searching for wildlife and imagining that I was on my own adventures in the wilderness. As I got older, I met Tibetans who explained how they had walked for months across the Himalayas, risking their lives to escape from Tibet into India. These stories inspired Running on the Roof of the World. Jess Butterworth
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