A little piece of ground

Format:

Book

Title:

A little piece of ground

Author:

Laird, Elizabeth author

ISBN:

9781931859387

Publication Information:

Chicago, IL : Haymarket Books, 2006.

Physical Description:

216 pages : illustrations ; 20 cm

Summary:

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.

Program Information:

Accelerated Reader AR MG+ 5.1 9.0 110896.

Reading Counts RC 6-8 5.5 16.0 40591.

Subject(s):

Arab-Israeli conflict -- Juvenile fiction.

Arab-Israeli conflict -- Fiction.

West Bank -- Juvenile fiction.

West Bank -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

West Bank -- Juvenile fiction.

West Bank -- Fiction.

Genre:

Added Author:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Jefferson Public Library	J LAIRD, E.	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

A Little Piece Of Ground will help young readers understand more about one of the worst conflicts afflicting our world today.

Written by Elizabeth Laird, one of Great Britain's best-known young adult authors, A Little Piece Of Ground explores the human cost of the occupation of Palestinian lands through the eyes of a young boy.

Twelve-year-old Karim Aboudi and his family are trapped in their Ramallah home by a strict curfew. In response to a Palestinian suicide bombing, the Israeli military subjects the West Bank town to a virtual siege. Meanwhile, Karim, trapped at home with his teenage brother and fearful parents, longs to play football with his friends. When the curfew ends, he and his friend discover an unused patch of ground that's the perfect site for a football pitch. Nearby, an old car hidden intact under bulldozed building makes a brilliant den. But in this city there's constant danger, even for schoolboys. And when Israeli soldiers find Karim outside during the next curfew, it seems impossible that he will survive.

This powerful book fills a substantial gap in existing young adult literature on the Middle East. With 23,000 copies already sold in the United Kingdom and Canada, this book is sure to find a wide audience among young adult readers in the United States.

Author Notes

Multiple award-winning novelist Elizabeth Laird is the author of numerous children's books based on themes of social inequality. She lives in Surrey, England. Sonia Nimr is a lecturer at Bir Zeit University in Palestine.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 6-10-Karim, a 12-year-old Palestinian boy, works with two friends to transform an abandoned lot in Ramallah-the "little piece of ground"-into a soccer field and a getaway from the trials of both family and life under occupation. Hopper, a new friend who had until recently lived in a refugee camp and whose older brother is in the custody of the Israelis, and Joni, a Christian boy whose family has always been close to Karim's, represent in some ways the opposite poles that Karim yo-yos between. Hopper is somewhat suspect, simply because he was a refugee. Furthermore, his actions are brash and defiant; he stands up to an Israeli tank, brandishing an eggplant like a grenade and swinging from its gun. The town is put under Israeli curfew, and first Hopper and later Karim are shot at by soldiers and wounded, Karim seriously enough to require hospitalization. Throughout this powerful narrative, the authors remain true to Karim's character and reactions. He is a typical self-centered adolescent who longs to hang out with his friends, go to school, and play sports. His parents and relatives provide some of the necessary background information and commentary about the occupation. At the book's end, Karim is allowed to spend time outside for the first time since his wound, and is reunited with Hopper. The boys attend a celebration and are chillingly greeted as heroes. As notable in its way as James D. Forman's historical novels of the late '60s and '70s, A Little Piece of Ground deserves serious attention and discussion.-Coop Renner, Hillside Elementary, El Paso, TX (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

What is it like to live under military occupation in Palestine? Laird explores the question through the viewpoint of Karim, 12, desperate to get out of his apartment in Ramallah, where yet another curfew has kept everyone locked up since a suicide bomber killed people in Israel. Even when the curfew is lifted, Karim remains bitter and angry; his grandfather's land has been confiscated, his father humiliated in a strip search, and his school has been trashed. Karim, his Christian friend, and a Muslim boy, whose brother is in a Jerusalem prison, band together and attempt to clear space for a soccer field. Then the tanks roll in again, and Karim barely escapes. Although this is largely a docu-novel, the heartbreaking personal drama visualizes the realistic challenges of wartime life at home, as well as the diversity of opinion about religion, class, and politics in the community. Recommend this with books from the Israeli viewpoint, such as Pnina Moed Kass' Real Time (2004). --Hazel Rochman Copyright 2006 Booklist