Oranges in No Man's Land

I'm usually not a fan of children's literature, but I decided to put aside all prejudice for the sake of my kiddos -- I hope to convert a few errant ones into readers and book lovers -- one of the most effective ways is through story telling. But first, I must get my story right.

So I sat down with one of Elizabeth Laird's novels, pulled away the shards of cynicism shrouding my eyes, and immersed myself in Lebanon thirty years ago, when a civil war raged in Beirut.

Ayesha, a girl of not more than ten is thrown out of  her home together with her granny and her two brothers as bomb shells hit the residential building they've lived in all their lives, killing her mother in the process. Together, the fragile family flee across the green line where a kindly lady takes them into her "beautiful flat where rich people would have lived" except that "all the windows had all blown out, and there were gaping holes in the walls where shells had blasted through".

Soon, Ayesha's grandmother's health deteriorates as she runs out of medication. Ayesha takes it upon herself to race across no man's land, into the other side of Lebanon right into enemy territory, where her accent betrays her apparent allegiance, to see Dr. Leila, the only woman whom she knows can help granny.

I'm sure most or all of my nine and ten year old kiddos will enjoy this story. It's a celebration of the human spirit, and there are many poignant moments that allow adult and kiddo readers alike to crawl into Ayesha's skin, keeping them riveted. All this is packaged within the usual "growing-up" schema that nine and ten year olds are used too, complete with a happy ending, making it a rather wholesome reading experience overall.

I also particularly liked the symbol of an orange, a freshly plucked fruit of luxury in wartorn Lebanon, offered to Ayesha by a kindly boy and his father on the other side who could not tell that she was 'an enemy' and then subsequently devoured by Ayesha, bringing her comfort.

Also, a lot of fresh imagery and similes, like this angry bird one which made me chuckle a little.

I heard a strange noise behind me and looked to see. A gust had whipped up some old blue plastic bags, which were flying through the air like demented birds.