A highly topical, award-winning novel from a truly great writer for children. The genocide of the Kurds by Saddam Hussein was to most people brutal and barbaric and given the current situation in the Middle East and the wars there that have gone before, this is a book that should be read by adult and child alike for it provides both an insight into the sometimes inhuman actions of the human race as well as testimony to the determination and strength of the dispossessed. It’s a book that will stick in your mind for the appallingness of what went on then and make you ponder on the what’s still going on and going wrong in the Middle East today. Kiss the Dust is compulsively readable, utterly gripping yet harrowing too and the characters, in particular Tara, are beautifully drawn and so rich in emotion. It deserves to be a classic and on every reading list.
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. 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?
Elizabeth Laird is the multi-award-winning author of several much-loved children's books, including The Garbage King, The Prince Who Walked with Lions and The Fastest Boy in the World. She has been shortlisted for the prestigious CILIP Carnegie Medal six times. She lives in Britain now, but still likes to travel as much as she can.Read more about the author here.
