It also made me re-evaluate my reading of John Boyne's 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas', which I found enjoyable but unsettling on some unknown level. The three boys are drawn from across social and religious boundaries to emphasise the generic conventions of searching for social harmony and oneness, but still the novel manages to stress the historical circumstances of Israeli occupation, openly referring to torture within prisons, the shooting of innocents and the forcible taking of land.I know it is not genuinely realistic but what a great starting point for young readers.
OK, so it is written within the conventions of children's fiction, so the three main protagonists are unrealistically optimistic and resilient in the face of the hardships they suffer, but it still gets across some truths to which children in the UK will rarely be exposed without sacrificing a strong sense of narrative.Set in Ramallah, the story focuses on Karim, Joni and Hopper as they live under the Israeli occupation of Palestine. It is refreshing to read a children's novel that so honestly examines conflict. This powerful book fills a substantial gap in existing young adult literature on the Middle East. And when Israeli soldiers find Karim outside during the next curfew, it seems impossible that he will survive. But in this city there’s constant danger, even for schoolboys.
Nearby, an old car hidden intact under bulldozed building makes a brilliant den. When the curfew ends, he and his friend discover an unused patch of ground that’s the perfect site for a football pitch. Meanwhile, Karim, trapped at home with his teenage brother and fearful parents, longs to play football with his friends. In response to a Palestinian suicide bombing, the Israeli military subjects the West Bank town to a virtual siege. Twelve-year-old Karim Aboudi and his family are trapped in their Ramallah home by a strict curfew. 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. A Little Piece Of Ground will help young readers understand more about one of the worst conflicts afflicting our world today.
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