Running on the Roof of the World

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Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments The setting of the majority of the story, the Himalayas, is another main character here. As daunting as the journey through the mountains and towards the relative safety of northern India is, the setting is still painted as breathtaking and beautiful by debut author Jess Butterworth. It’s unforgiving, yes, and Tash along with her best friend Sam and their yaks have various difficulties to contend with along the way. The landscape is still seen in a reverential way, a way that inspires awe in these young minds. EVEEEEEEEEEEEE. My heart. Oh Eve, Eve, Eve. What a gentle soul. What a wonderful companion. A savior and an angel in the body of a large yak. A blessing. (Appa vibes?)

Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference I was somewhat hesitant going in to this book, simply because stories about child refugees having to flee their homes are by their nature, sad and distressing, and given what's going on in the world at the moment, I can get a bit hand-shy of books that are too real in that regard. Thankfully, Butterworth manages the story of Tash and Sam with great control so that while the dangers and sadness are apparent at every step, they aren't so prominent as to overwhelm the reader. In fact, Running on the Roof of the World is a remarkably accessible book for young readers who are interested in real life events and what's going on outside their own bubble, written in a tone that is both moving and dignified. In a Nutshell: Spirit of survival abounds on an epic Himalayan journeyA captivatingly classic adventure in which two children battle extreme political and environmental hostilities as they journey from Tibet to India.Also, in light of the recent – and incredibly disturbing –“disappearance” of Chinese superstar Fan Bingbing, it’s clear that the Chinese government is not above brute abductions when it feels cornered. If one of the most well-known A-list celebrities in the country can vanish without a trace, then why not a few rural Tibetans? Le Sueur, Alec (2003-01-01). The Hotel on the Roof of the World: from Miss Tibet to Shangri-La. Oakland, Calif: RDR Books. ISBN 1571431012. OCLC 845721671. Reminded me A Long Walk to Water and The White Rose (about a Jewish teen Nazi resister, Sophie Scholl), two stories about kids becoming more aware and active in politics. Or Tree Girl, or Forgotten Fire (YA, about the Armenian genocide) but to be truthful, I liked all of them more than this book. Running on the Roof of the World is set in the Himalayas, in a small country called Tibet. It’s about a girl called Tash, who runs away to find the Dalai Lama, hoping he can help her with her problem. She has some friends to help her along the way: Sam and two yaks. On the way they bump into some strangers and we are not sure if they are there to help or to hinder their journey. Will they make it to find the Dalai Lama? This story features the conflict between China and Tibet, specifically Chinese oppression of the Dalai Lama's followers.

Those experiences shape my point of view, for sure. And when it comes to China-Tibet relations, that means a lot. I don’t defend China’s actions in Tibet over the last 60 years, but one thing that’s been consistent is their continual erasure of the Dalai Lama within Tibet and Tibetan communities throughout China. So it was a stretch for me to believe that the Dalai Lama continues to be so active a presence for a 12-year-old that this was her first (and most viable) choice. With the awakening of public interest in Tibet, the Pamirs, "since 1875 ... probably the best explored region in High Asia", [4] went out of the limelight and the description "Roof of the World" has been increasingly applied to Tibet [9] [10] and the Tibetan plateau, and occasionally, especially in French ( "Toit du monde"), even to Mt. Everest, [11] but the traditional use is still alive. [12] Where the world's tallest mountain ranges meet Panorama of the Pamirs, the Original Roof of the World Despite my complaints, though, the book did make me reevaluate some ideas I thought were settled in my mind. It made me question what I thought I knew. It made me research and read up on current events that escaped my notice. It opened my eyes, and that’s the true beauty of all good literature.The prose is short, sharp and choppy - but beautiful and evocative at the same time. Jess gives a real sense of the setting, and particularly of the animals, with the two yaks being a real highlight.

LoveReading4Kids exists because books change lives, and buying books through LoveReading4Kids means you get to change the lives of future generations, with 25% of the cover price donated to schools in need. Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives. There’s so much about this book that, on the surface, calls out to me and screams my name. A middle-grade novel about a tough-as-nails female protagonist. A Tibetan setting. Asian characters with a unique (to middle-grade books) Buddhist perspective.Other fabulous middle-grade books that deal with serious issues affecting children in other countries include Oranges in No Man's Land by Elizabeth Laird, about Lebanon, and The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon, about Rohinga refugees in Australia. You might also like to look at When the Mountains Roared by Jess Butterworth. Survival stories are some of my all-time favorite middle grade books. This is a great addition to my survivor collection that contains other titles like Snow Dogs by Terry Lynn Johnson and Hatchet by Greg Paulsen.