Malini: Through My Eyes

Description

Malini lives with her parents and young sister, Banni, in northern Sri Lanka. As the civil war heads towards its catastrophic end, Malini and her family are herded by Tamil Tiger troops towards the coast where they will act as human shields, along with thousands of other Tamil civilians. When Malini's father pushes a mobile phone into her hands and tells her to run off into the forest with Banni, Malini does as she is told. But then the shelling begins, and Malini has no way of finding her mother and father. With the role of parent thrust upon her, Malini has no choice but to travel to her grandfather's village a long way inland. She and Banni will need to keep off the highways and stay alert for soldiers from all sides. But where will the next meal come from? Who can they trust? Where will they shelter? And will they ever be reunited with their parents again? The uplifting story of one girl's odyssey through war-torn Sri Lanka.

Robert Hillman's autobiography, The Boy in the Green Suit, won the Australian National Biography Award for 2005. His 2007 biography, My Life as a Traitor, was written with Zarah Ghahramani. He collaborated with Najaf Mazari for The Rugmaker of Mazar-e-Sharif and The Honey Thief. He is also the author of a biography of blind indigenous musician Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, Gurrumul: His Life and Music, and the novel Joyful.

"A beautifully done and very important series." --Deborah Ellis, author, The Breadwinner "Readers may have to be guided to this series, but those who try it will be rewarded. Perfect for libraries looking for diverse middle grade literature and/or views of contemporary war zones as well as for schools seeking materials for current events and cultural units." --School Library Journal