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Paperback208 pages
Publisher
Oxford University PressSuitable for Ages
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Publication date
2nd April 2009ISBN
9780192727633Children's Author 'Like-for-Like' recommendations
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Beyond The Barricade
Deborah Ellis
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The Lovereading comment:
Fact written as fiction this is a fast moving, gripping and thought-provoking story of the dilemmas faced by Diego, a young boy in Bolivia who having escaped the ruthless drug thugs in the jungle is taken in by a family, but a family who is completely reliant on the coca leaf for survival. Diego is swept along by the excitement of it all, and by the sense of belonging. He makes himself invaluable, running errands, helping out where he can, and making new friends. But the good humour soon sours. A powerful stand-alone novel yet also a sequel to the equally impressive, yet harrowing story in The Prison Runner, both books provide a frightening realisation of drugs and their effects.
Synopsis
Beyond The Barricade by Deborah EllisDiego has managed to get away from thugs who were forcing him to make cocaine paste in the jungle, but he doesn't know where he is or how he will find his parents. When he's taken in by the Ricardo family, he's eager to help them harvest their coca crop. Doing so reminds him of home because, like his family, the Ricardos need the harvest for survival.
But the army doesn't want any coca getting into the hands of criminals who will turn it into cocaine for the western market and so destroys every leaf it can find. Every family in the area now faces devastation. In protest, the people organise a blockade of Bolivia's main road.
At first the army merely threatens to break the blockade, but then its threats become a violent reality. When Diego is given the chance to escape, he is tempted. And when he discovers that the person offering rescue could take him to his family, it's almost impossible to resist.But should he stay and fight, or leave silently and perhaps, finally, find his family?
About The Author
Deborah Ellis works as a mental health residential counsellor in Toronto and is the winner of the Governor General’s Award in Canada (equivalent to the Carnegie Medal) for her first novel 'Looking for X'.
She was raised in Paris, Ontario and from the time she was 17 she has been a political activist, advocating non-violence. After high school she went to Toronto and worked in the Peace Movement. Later she got involved in the Women’s Movement, focusing on women’s rights and economic justice. She has spent a lot of time in Pakistan, in Afghan refugee camps, talking to women and documenting their lives under 20 years of war. Her main engagement continues to be anti-war politics.
Her books include 'The Breadwinner' and its sequel 'Parvana's Journey'. Both books are set in Afghanistan during and after the rule of the Taliban.
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