The Garbage King

From award-winning and beloved children's author Elizabeth Laird comes a stunning edition of The Garbage King, with a cover illustration by Zeamanuel Abera, an author letter and additional content from the author, including discussion notes. Inspired by the true story of an Ethiopian childhood lived on the edge of destitution, it takes you 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.

This edition includes brilliant extra material, such as:
- An introduction by Elizabeth Laird
- Extra content from the author, including reading group questions

Short-listed for The CILIP Carnegie Medal 2003 (UK)

This is an engrossing story of interweaving lives and the capacity of children to help each other when adults fail them Books for Keeps
Laird's novel is extremely moving Primary Times
This book is not just a compelling read but also an eye-opener, vividly describing the harsh reality of life on the streets Mail on Sunday

Elizabeth Laird is the multi-award-winning author of many much-loved children's books. She has been shortlisted for the prestigious Carnegie Medal for Jake's Tower, Red Sky in the Morning, Secret Friends, A Little Piece of Ground, The Garbage King and The Fastest Boy in the World. She lives in Britain now, but still likes to travel as much as she can.

Zeamanuel Abera is an independent art director, designer, and digital content specialist based out of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. As a self-taught designer and a Computer Engineer graduate, his work exists at the intersection of art and technology, guided by a strong belief in creative design as a problem-solving tool, as a way of recognizing and forming relationships between ideas and reality, and as a method for improving the connections between people and the products they use.

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