THE GARBAGE KING
Elizabeth Laird, . . Barron's, $14.95 (339pp) ISBN 978-0-7641-2626-0
This workmanlike novel clearly portrays the grim options facing street kids in Ethiopia. After the death of his drunken, abusive mother, on the verge of eviction from the home he shares with his sister, Mamo is kidnapped by a man masquerading as his long-lost uncle and sold into slavery on a farm, then escapes back to the city. Spoiled, wealthy Dani takes to the streets when his lackluster performance in a private school so enrages his father that he plans to send Dani to live with his tough old Somali servant ("If anyone can make a man out of you, Feisal can"). While Laird (
Reviewed on: 11/10/2003
Genre: Children's
Hardcover - 336 pages - 978-0-7641-5679-3
Hardcover - 273 pages - 978-0-435-13054-1
Other - 978-0-330-47802-1
Paperback - 336 pages - 978-1-5098-0295-1